New Friends and Old Foes
by Storywriter55
Summary: An old nemesis of Byron's returns, putting June in danger. Part of the 'Milestones' series (3.3 years)
1. Chapter 1

**New Friends and Old Foes**

_An old nemesis of Byron's returns, putting June in danger. This story features a three year old Hope, especially for Nanard, who tells me that preschool Hope is her favorite character._

**Chapter 1**

3.3 years

Early summer in New York City. The days were definitely getting warmer but the nights were still cool enough to be comfortable for sleeping. The suburbs always seemed cooler anyways – away from the asphalt jungle of Manhattan. Seven a.m. at 4788 Meadowbrook Street in White Plains found Mom and daughter sitting at the kitchen table while Dad finished up getting ready for work – a typical Friday morning in the Ellis-Caffrey home.

'Mommy, I'm not hungry' whined Hope as she stared down at her bowl of cereal

'Try to have a couple of more bites, okay honey?' said Sara, sipping her coffee and continuing to glance at the business section of the New York Times

Hope looked down and gave her bowl a not so subtle bump sending the milk onto the table, a big white stain on the dark oak.

'Hope! Be careful!' said Sara, an edge of annoyance to her voice

She made her way to the sink to get a dishrag as Hope began to protest.

'I didn't do it. Patricia did it!' she exclaimed, pouting

'Well, regardless of who did it, someone needs to clean it up' said Sara as she handed her daughter the dishrag to clean up the mess

'I see Patricia's at it again' said Neal as he finally made an appearance, dressed for work in his usual fitted suit and vintage tie, this one a beautiful shade of burgundy.

He made his way to Hope, placing a kiss on her forehead before turning to his wife with a glint in his eye. He locked eyes with Sara, placing a kiss on her lips: 'Good morning... and happy anniversary. Again' he added with a wink

Sara smiled in return. They were celebrating their third wedding anniversary on this June morning and Neal had already given her a memorable gift in bed before she'd reluctantly made her way to the shower. She hoped to have the chance to reciprocate later in the day.

'Neal, I don't know about this ... thing' she said, pointing vaguely in Hope's direction.

They had decided that they would try not to make a big deal out of Hope's new imaginary friend. Neal had gone on-line and researched the subject; imaginary friends were very common in children Hope's age and they usually were a sign of a very creative mind – a fact that had somehow brought a smile to his lips. Still, it was becoming an issue with Hope who blamed Patricia for every little thing that happened and Sara was growing irritated; Neal on the other hand was enjoying watching his daughter be imaginative and he marvelled at her creativity as Patsy became the patsy for every single misdeed or transgression.

'Patricia's not a thing, Mommy, she's a _person_' said Hope, fully engaged in the discussion that did not directly involve her

'Well, Patricia needs to respect the rules just like you do' Neal added, trying to buy the peace

'So, you ladies remember that we're having dinner at June's tonight, right?' asked Neal as he grabbed some Italian roast in a travel mug – a far cry from the five dollar cup of coffee he used to pick up on the streets of Manhattan.

'What's this case Peter's called you in for again?' asked Sara, suddenly interested -although Neal had tried to explain earlier while her mind had clearly been focussed on another part of her anatomy.

'There's some activity by the waterfront – some equipment's been spotted in one of the empty warehouses and Peter thinks someone's setting up a counterfeit operation' he said

'Well, be careful, Caffrey' Sara said, grabbing his tie 'I'd kind of like to make it to our fourth wedding anniversary – the traditional gift is silk' she said as she let herself imagine a beautiful silk blouse or high end scarf – but she'd have to wait another year.

Year three was leather and Neal had yet to reveal what he'd bought her – a purse? a beautiful new wallet? Neal was famous for rooting out thoughtful and gorgeous gifts for his wife – thank God for her fashion conscious husband, she thought.

WCWCWC

June Ellington was nothing if not an accomplished and gracious hostess. She loved entertaining and although she did all the planning herself, she had plenty of help with the execution and on this day, she buzzed around the kitchen giving orders and making certain that the planning was complete for her dinner party. She'd invited the Burkes as well as Mozzie over to celebrate Neal and Sara's wedding anniversary and she was taking special care to include all of Neal's favorites on the menu. Although the couple had moved out over two years before, they were regular visitors to the home on Riverside Drive and on more than one occasion when they'd been over, she'd found Neal up in his old apartment, admiring the mural he'd painted in Hope's room. Moving to a larger home was a no-brainer for the Caffrey family but Neal still missed the buzz of Manhattan and the beautiful home he'd had the chance to live in for over five years.

June finalized the menu with the kitchen staff and sent them on their way to pick up the necessary provisions as she, herself, headed out to buy a new outfit to wear – the advantages of being privileged, one which June never took for granted.

WCWCWC

The Harvard crew assembled in the conference room as Peter shared the intel they'd been able to uncover based on the comings and goings at the old warehouse by the waterfront. This was like the Dutchman all over again – a sophisticated bond counterfeiting operation. The head of the crew had yet to make an appearance but Peter suspected that Jaylon 'JB' Brown was making a return; he'd recently finished serving fifteen years for counterfeiting and manslaughter and some of the men who'd been spotted near the operation were known acquaintances of his. If this _was_ Brown, he'd have his work cut out for him; his main counterfeit guy in years gone by had been Porky Williams, and Porky was still in the slammer - for another five years.

'They've been seen moving in presses and ink but no paper or plates' said Jones as the group looked at the undercover pictures taken from near the site. 'But the equipment we've been able to see is definitely not for bills'

'Sounds like they might need the help of a master bond forger' said Neal, rolling back in his chair, looking glib

Peter knew where this was going and it was exactly why he'd called Neal in on this case. Although Neal had helped out on a number of high profile cases since his anklet had been removed two and half years before, he'd also been working on retainer for some large insurance companies as well as providing care at home for Hope. Over the past year, Sara had finally fully recovered from her bout with cancer and although she was still being followed by the team of oncologists and would be for another four years, she had resumed her job full time at Sterling Bosh and she and Neal had started to try for a baby brother or sister for their daughter.

Life was good, once again.

But Neal still loved a good undercover operation and he couldn't resist the opportunity to be 'bad' while helping the FBI catch the bad guys. Going undercover to help print fraudulent bonds would certainly scratch an itch that had never completely disappeared for Neal and when Peter had approached him about the job, Neal had discussed taking the assignment with Sara and had decided to jump in feet first. Of course, he'd been a little sketchy on the details where Sara was concerned; she still worried about him when he took on undercover assignments at the White Collar Unit. He preferred to fill her in as things evolved – no sense in her worrying needlessly about something that might never happen.

'I agree with Neal. They could sure use his help with this operation. Diana, do we have a decent back story ready for Neal Caffrey?' Peter asked

Diana began to read from prepared notes: 'Neal Caffrey was released just last year from Sing Sing after serving eight years for bond forgery and has been doing odd jobs – he's definitely still in the market for the _right_ job' she said, raising an eyebrow at the mixture of truth and fiction in what she'd just read

Neal just smiled. Although his allegiance was clearly with the law and order side of the fence these days, it was always a hoot to play with the bad guys and keep his 'skills' up.

'Alright, let's put the word out on the street that Neal's available and see if JB bites' said Peter as the group dispersed

As Neal prepared to walk out, Peter grabbed his arm 'You sure you're up for this?' he asked

Neal just gave him the 'Are you kidding me, Peter?' look as he shrugged

'Oh, and happy anniversary' said Peter as Neal began to walk away

WCWCWC

June Ellington returned from her trip to Alexander McQueen to find her home in total disarray. The staff had returned to find that the place had been tossed during their absence. All floors of the mansion had been visited and no room had been spared in what had been a thorough, professional search for something very specific. None of June's jewelry or silver had been touched nor were countless other expensive and desirable items. June was instantly suspicious as she ordered the staff to scatter around the house to put things right before her guests arrived.

_(15 years before)_

'_I'm not up for this' Byron said as Jaylon paced up and down the front parlor of the mansion on Riverside Drive_

'_It's our chance at one last big score' the other man said, his arms wildly gesticulating_

'_You've been saying that for the past thirty years. I've only been out for two years and I'm not going back. You're already on the FBI's radar as it is with your last batch of 100$ dollar bills – and that incident...' said Byron, letting his voice trail_

'_Just hang on to the plate while I get things set up then' JB was saying _

'_I don't want that thing in my house!' said Byron, his voice growing louder 'I promised June I was done and nothing is going to make me break my promise'_

_Jaylon continued to pace, a caged animal. _

_Their history went all the way back to their foolish teen years and they'd done countless jobs together mostly small time scams and cons – nothing violent until their last gig, that is. During a high stakes poker game they'd set up in an abandoned office space, JB had suddenly produced a gun when they'd been discovered – leading to a scuffle and the death of a security guard. Byron had lost it. He had never in his life resorted to violence and the altercation had led to a parting of the ways between the men – that is until JB had shown up with a stolen plate for government bonds, begging Byron to hide it while he set up the operation._

_But Byron's last stint in jail had kept him away from June and his kids for over five years and he had no interest in going back._

'_Look, I only need a week to set things up. Just hang on to this and I'll be back for it' he said, throwing the plate towards Byron and making his way out the door._

_June stood out of the sight, listening and wiping a tear._

WCWCWC

Neal strapped Hope into her car seat in the back of the SUV and placed the bag filled with freshly picked strawberries on the seat next to her. Who would ever have predicted that Neal Caffrey, ex-con man, would have a garden in his back yard complete with a strawberry patch? Truth was, Neal loved his suburban back yard and he had become an enthusiastic gardener – an extension of his creative streak – and he loved the fact that he could pick fresh fruit in the morning and have a still-warm pie on the table for dinner.

'No' Hope screamed 'Patricia's sitting there!'

'Oops, sorry Patricia' said Neal as he placed the bag on the floor in front of Hope

Sara rolled her eyes as she settled into the front passenger seat of the car. She was having much more trouble dealing with Hope's imaginary friend than Neal was. Sara had never had an imaginary friend growing up – she didn't need to, she had her sister Emily who was four years her senior and was always up for taking care of her younger sister. Sara, of the rational mind, balked at such an indulgence and she feared that her daughter would lose contact with the real world if she continued sharing her bed, her meals, her hopes and dreams with Patricia.

Neal on the other hand had been raised alone – and lonely – and he'd had his fair share of imaginary friends growing up. Friends he'd tell his secrets to; friends who didn't judge him when he took things he wasn't supposed to; friends who were there for him no matter what. Sometimes, Neal wondered if Mozzie wasn't such a friend; he'd taken on the role of confidant for Neal for the past fifteen years or so but for better or for worse, Mozzie was all too real.

'Ready?' he asked as he pulled out of their driveway on the way to June's

He reached out for Sara's hand, a small gesture but all the same, Sara's mood changed from annoyed to content as she looked up at her husband.

'I love the purse' she said as she ran her hand over the new gift. It was beautifully crafted, in shades of emerald (her favorite color) and although years ago, she might have shunned it for not being a Vuitton or a Prada, she appreciated the fact that Neal had chosen it with her (and their budget) in mind.

'I'm glad. I knew you'd like the color' he answered as he tapped the pocket of his jacket 'And I love the cell phone case. How did you know I needed one?'

Sara just smiled at him. He'd been telling her for the past six months that he needed a new cell phone case and that he'd seen one he really liked at Holt Renfrew.

She just shrugged in response. He was ten times better at getting the right gift than she would _ever_ _be_ and he didn't mind having to lead her down the path to the perfect gift if he had to.

'Don't touch that!' they heard from the back seat as Hope admonished Patricia for doing something or other that was not allowed

'What's she doing?' Neal asked, curious as he glanced in the rear view mirror

'She's touching the strawberries' she answered

'Oh, those are for Grandma June' he said, his voice mock serious

'Those are for Grandma June' Hope repeated, in exactly the same tone of voice as her dad

Sara just shook her head.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Dinner at June's was always fun. Although she always did things up 'right', she never balked at having young children in her home – quite the opposite. June had a space set up in her living room with books and art supplies for her grandchildren, including Hope (who for all intents and purposes was her youngest granddaughter) and she doted on the child, to Neal's delight.

'Grandma June, can Patricia sit next to me?' Hope asked, as they prepared to eat

'Patricia?' asked June, hesitant as she glanced up at Neal who gave her a wide eyed look

'Of course, darling. Why don't you help me set up another place at the table for your little friend' said June, not missing a beat

June was definitely 'grandma' material and she'd fallen into the role seamlessly where Hope was concerned. After all, Neal and Sara had lived in her house for the first eleven months of Hope's life and June had done her fair share of doting. The group of seven (eight, if you count Patricia) set up at the large dining room table for dinner and although June was her usual gracious self, Neal could sense something was off. They dined on fresh salmon and dill and roasted potatoes and as always the food was amazing.

After dinner, they retired to the living room where Hope sat nearby drawing as the adults listened to music and had their after dinner drink.

Neal sat by June, putting his arm around her to give her a hug and leaning in as he spoke.

'You feeling okay, June?' he asked 'You look a little distracted'

'I'm fine dear' she responded, rather unconvincingly

Neal just kept his gaze on her, waiting. He knew June well and he could tell she wasn't coming clean with him. She looked up at Neal and he saw a cloud of worry pass in her eyes.

'I had a break-in this afternoon' she finally said

'A break-in?' Neal repeated, alarmed

'I'm fine, darling. It happened while we were out' she responded, reassuringly

'Well... did they take anything?' asked Neal

'Not that I can tell but they were looking for something...' she answered, sounding worried

She hoped she was wrong but she couldn't help wondering if the conversation she'd overheard 15 years before in her front room had anything to do with the break-in. She and Byron had never spoken of it again – after all, she _had_ been eavesdropping at the time – and she wondered if the item that Byron and his ex-partner had been discussing was still in the house after all this time. If so, where was it and who else would know about it? Jaylon had been arrested mere days after that conversation and he'd been convicted of manslaughter – Byron sufficiently betrayed to not even bother showing up at his trial and breaking ties for good with his ex-partner. As far as she knew, JB was still in prison. Byron had never wanted to speak of him again and when he'd finally passed away almost seven years later, he had looked up at his wife with the knowledge that he had kept his promise to her to stay out of trouble – something June was eternally grateful for.

Suddenly there was a commotion as Hope stood up, her voice shrill and she spoke at full volume focussing everyone's attention in her direction.

'Patricia, no! That's not for you, that's for grownups!' she said dismissively, her finger wagging

Neal and Sara exchanged looks – they were instantly aware that she was re-enacting the same exact scenario which had occurred between herself and Sara as she'd reached for her mother's eye makeup earlier in the day. Even the tone of voice Sara had used echoed in Hope's voice, leaving everyone gobsmacked.

Peter made his way over to Hope, picking up his goddaughter playfully and swinging her up in the air as she dissolved into a fit of giggles at her Uncle Peter tickling her, the mood instantly returning to its previous state.

Neal looked over at June whose smile had returned. Whatever was on her mind had disappeared momentarily and Neal resolved to get to the bottom of whatever had elicited that look of worry in her eyes.

WCWCWC

Neal placed a sleeping Hope in her car seat as everyone prepared to leave. It was getting late but luckily everyone could sleep in tomorrow – yay, weekend! They said their goodbyes, thanking June for the wonderful evening and heading out into the warm night, the Burkes to Brooklyn, the Caffreys to White Plains and Mozzie to... wherever Mozzie went. Neal took his place behind the wheel and the family headed out, Sara letting her head fall back on her seat as the three glasses of wine she'd allowed herself to have finally caught up to her.

'You realize our daughter just held a mirror up to your face, right?' Neal said as they drove home

Sara just glared at her husband in response.

'If we want to know how we sound to Hope, all we have to do is listen to how she talks to Patricia' said Neal as he took the turn onto the highway

'I did notice that' said Sara, suddenly embarrassed

'Yesterday, she told Patricia she had to follow the rules and I swear she used the exact same words and tone of voice I'd used at breakfast' Neal confessed

'I guess we need to be a little more aware of what we say' said Sara

'... and _how_ we say it' added Neal

'Did you notice anything off about June?' he continued as he glanced over at his wife

'No... well, maybe she was a little quieter than usual. I just thought she might be tired' answered Sara

'She says there was a break-in at the house today' said Neal, concerned

'What? Oh, she should have said. We could have gotten together another night' said Sara

'You know June...' Neal responded

They continued in silence, the soft cadence of Hope's breathing the only sound.

'So...' Sara said, letting her fingertips linger suggestively over Neal's hand

'Are you up for one more anniversary gift?' she asked, her voice downright lewd

Neal's face lit up with a very naughty smile as he stepped on the gas.

WCWCWC

Saturday, June 15th was a beautiful day. The sun was out, growing stronger as the days progressed and after making breakfast for Hope and Sara, Neal headed back out to Manhattan intent on finishing the conversation he'd started with June the night before. He knew that she had the habit of giving the help the day off after a dinner party so he fully expected to find June alone at the house as he drove up and parked directly in front of the mansion.

He knocked, waiting for June to let him in – despite having called ahead and having gotten her voice mail, he'd decided to head out just the same. He waited patiently, finally letting himself in with his key. The house was perfectly still, so different from the night before when it had been full of great odors, music and warm laughter. He made his way into the kitchen, noticing order had been restored, dishes made, everything returned to its proper place. He wandered up to the second floor to June's room finding it perfectly in order, the bed made and everything as it should be.

He wandered through the spacious home, calling out for June, becoming more and more concerned that she might have been taken ill. It wasn't like June to be out before noon on a Saturday especially after having had a dinner party the night before. She was nowhere to be found and he picked up the phone to try her cell once more – he had finally convinced her to get a portable phone after he and Sara had moved out. He felt safer knowing that she could always get in touch with him if she needed anything and he dialed the familiar number listening as it went directly to voice mail. He left a message, asking her to get in touch as soon as possible and he returned the phone to his jacket as he took one last look around the house.

June was 79 years old and although she was healthy and active, she _was_ 79 years old and Neal knew that she wouldn't be around forever – he just hoped she'd be around for a very long time. As he prepared to leave, he spotted something shiny on the floor near the front door and he made his way over to pick it up. It was June's wedding ring – the one she'd never taken off in over fifty years (or so she'd confessed to Neal one night over after dinner drinks). What the hell was June's wedding ring doing on the floor by the front door? Had she dropped it there accidentally – and how did that happen – or had she purposefully left it there for someone (him?) to find.

Neal's mind was racing and he began to take a few calming breaths, telling himself he was way off base. He put the ring in his pocket for safekeeping, deciding he might be getting a bit paranoid and he headed out – Sara had a few errands to run and he wanted to take over on Hope (and Patricia) duty so he locked the door behind him and headed back to White Plains.

WCWCWC

Sara stood by the stove, absentmindedly stirring a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup (Neal's creation, not hers) as her mind drifted back to the night before. She had thoroughly enjoyed their wedding anniversary with those wonderfully naughty bookends – Neal gratefully accepting her offer to reciprocate his lovely gesture from yesterday morning when they'd finally gotten home. Now that she had truly gotten her energy back, she had a newfound appreciation for everything in her life including their sex life. It had taken over a year following her gruelling chemotherapy treatments to truly start to feel like her old self again and now she felt ready to tackle anything life threw her way.

She became aware of Hope talking in the background, settled in the family room as she played, waiting for lunch to be served.

'My mommy is better' she was saying as Sara's ears perked up

'She's prettier and she reads to me every night' she added, obviously having some imaginary spitting match with her special friend

Sara's attention was now totally focussed on what Hope was saying but she kept her body turned away, anxious to hear where this was going.

'And my daddy helps my uncle Peter catch bad people' she said, waiting as Patricia ostensibly responded to her

'He's very brave and so is my mommy, she's an 'surance vestigator' she said, as Sara smiled at her daughter's mispronunciation of what she did for a living

'No, Patricia, it's _more _important than a teacher' she finally said, after waiting a few seconds

Sara smiled at what she heard; she hadn't had the first clue about kids when she'd 'accidentally' gotten pregnant at the ripe old age of thirty one. She'd never had the slightest interest in children; she'd never babysat or even held a baby until Hope was born. Everything she knew, she'd learned on the fly, thanks to Hope and a very patient Neal. Her husband, on the other hand, had amazing instincts when it came to kids and what he didn't know or understand, he made it his business to find out. He was patient, kind and loving and had a knack for smoothing things over whenever Hope misbehaved or things got chaotic.

Sara turned to look at her daughter, deep in conversation as she continued to draw, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated just as she'd seen her dad do so many times before as he tried to get some detail right on a painting he was working on. She was beautiful, her dark hair in soft curls and her bright blue eyes so eager to learn everything life had to teach her. Sara's heart swelled for a brief moment and she walked over to where Hope was sitting, putting her arm around her daughter and pulling her in gently, Hope happy to let herself be hugged.

'I love you, honey' Sara said as she kissed the top of her head 'You hungry?'

WCWCWC

June sat on a metal chair, her hands tied loosely behind her back as the two men continued to circle around her. They were the same men who'd showed up at her place earlier in the day, just as she was having her second cup of coffee and they had bullied their way into her home demanding to know where the government bond plate was hidden. Up until that moment, she hadn't even known for sure what her husband and his ex-partner had been discussing that night but it didn't take long for her to put two and two together.

Of course, she might be able to guess at a couple of hiding places but she didn't know for sure and she'd feigned complete ignorance as the men had stepped in and looked around. They had thoroughly tossed the place already the day before and there was no use in doing it again when someone (June) could tell them where to look. Their instructions had been clear: get the woman to talk and find the damn plate or don't bother coming back alone. June had been strong armed into their van as she tried unsuccessfully to fight them off. She'd been blindfolded and brought to this place – looked like a warehouse – where she'd been sitting in a small office since then, probably for a couple of hours she figured as she continued to look defiantly at the two thugs.

The men were getting antsy; it was obvious they weren't the ones in charge and they just wanted to get the job done so they wouldn't get into trouble with the big cheese who had yet to make an appearance. June sat there, trying desperately to do some mental math. How many years had it been since that fateful night and could JB be behind all this?

WCWCWC

Neal had temporarily yet completely forgotten about the burner phone in his pocket when it began to vibrate sometime around six o'clock. He was busy making grilled cheese sandwiches for Hope (and Patricia) and his mind was still trying to piece together what had happened to June when he realized he'd better answer. It was the phone number that had been leaked for Neal Caffrey, bond forger extraordinaire and he anxiously stepped out onto the back deck, away from Hope, to take the call.

'Yeah' he said into the phone

'Caffrey?' the man said

'Who's asking?' asked Neal, pacing

'Someone who might have a very lucrative offer for you' came the answer

'I'm listening' Neal responded

'Meet me at Nico's Bar at three tomorrow and we can talk. I'll find you' the man said before hanging up

Neal glanced into the nearby family room at Hope, seemingly talking to someone who just wasn't there and he wished he could go back to those days when he could find comfort in an imaginary friend. A real one would have to do.

He dialed the phone to call Peter.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

'He wants to meet tomorrow at three' said Neal as he and Peter sat sipping beer at his kitchen table

It was Saturday night just after nine o'clock and the house was quiet. Hope was finally asleep and Sara and Elizabeth had gone out to a movie, leaving the men on their own.

'Is it Brown?' asked Peter

'I have no idea' countered Neal

'Did he give you any details on the job?'

'No, just to meet him at the bar tomorrow' answered Neal, looking anxious

'Okay, I'll have Jones back you up' said Peter

'What's the matter? You look worried' Peter added picking up on his partner's expression

'Oh, it has nothing to do with the case. It's June. Did you know there was a break-in at her place yesterday?' asked Neal

'She never said' answered Peter

Neal just shrugged. 'You know, June – the show must go on. But what's got me worried is that I went by this morning to check on her and she wasn't there. And she's not answering her cell phone either'

'You know June. She's got a busy life; she's probably out with some of her friends at some social event' Peter ventured

Neal shrugged. 'Maybe... it's just... She's 79 now and she gets tired and... I just can't imagine she'd be out gallivanting around after having thrown a dinner party the night before' said Neal, worry obvious in his eyes

'I can look into it if you want - ' Peter began

'And another thing' Neal interrupted as he pulled out the ring from his pocket 'I found her wedding ring on the floor by the front door. She told me once she hadn't taken it off in over fifty years'

Now Peter was looking worried too. The men discussed options including getting Mozzie to recover the footage from the security camera at the house. June had a camera facing the street so that anyone coming up to the door could be seen. Maybe they'd be able to spot her leaving the house and be able to tell where she was headed. Despite their concern for her, they agreed that Neal had to keep his appointment and try to infiltrate the counterfeiting ring. The meeting was scheduled for Sunday afternoon and Neal and Peter arranged to meet following the exchange to discuss the next steps.

For now at least, they reluctantly put their concern for June on the back burner.

WCWCWC

June had been provided with a small cot and she'd spent the night tossing and turning as she worried about her fate. These men looked like professionals and she could see, every time they opened the door to the small office, that they were setting up for some sort of counterfeit operation - large printing presses being set up, men hovering around expectantly.

She could tell that the two men who had been visiting her regularly were just muscle – and they seemed to be getting more and more anxious as time went on. They had obviously been tasked with the job of locating that printing plate and June appeared to be their one and only lead. She'd been frantically going over all the possible hiding spots in her home, of which there were potentially hundreds, and her mind just wasn't cooperating under stress. She wondered if Neal or Mozzie would think to check on her or if her staff would have the presence of mind to contact Neal when they saw she wasn't home. Although she didn't always tell staff where she was at all times, they would certainly begin to wonder if she spent more than one or two nights away. She touched her finger, sad at finding it bare and she wondered if someone would find her wedding ring and put two and two together.

She heard some commotion and the door to the small space opened. June let out a gasp as she laid eyes on her visitor.

WCWCWC

By the time Sara returned from running errands on Sunday afternoon, she walked in on a very different looking Neal. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket, his hair slicked back and she was instantly reminded of that night he'd stood over her bed with a Ruger in his hands – a lifetime ago.

'Do I want to know?' she said as she put down the grocery bags on the kitchen counter

Neal shrugged in response. 'Duty calls' he said simply

'Be careful Caffrey' she said as she grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him to her 'I'm kinda used to having you around'

She kissed him solidly before letting him go, her eyes following his cute little ass as he made it out the front door. It certainly wasn't the first time (nor would it be the last) that Neal went undercover but it always made her uneasy as if, each time, she was losing a part of the Neal she knew and loved – despite the fact he always found his way back. She turned to start unpacking the groceries and let out a sigh.

WCWCWC

Neal made his way to Nico's Bar over on Ross Street in Brooklyn and he immediately noticed Jones sitting in a booth nearby nursing a beer. He ordered one of his own and stood at the bar, looking around the joint trying to figure out who his contact might be – he didn't have to wait long. He noticed a man standing nearby who gestured to a booth at the back, inviting Neal to join him. He recognized him immediately from the pictures he'd seen although he looked much older than Neal could have possibly imagined - downright elderly - yet spry and limber. His skin was leathery, as dark as his brooding eyes and he had bags _under_ the bags under his eyes, giving away his age and no doubt the tough life he'd led. He looked like a lifer, like so many of the hopeless men Neal had met in the slammer, a gloomy look on his face as if life no longer held any joy whatsoever.

'I'm putting together a crew' he said as they sat, face to face

'Oh yeah? And why would that be of any interest to me?' asked Neal, looking nonchalant

'I hear you have a specific skill set I'm in the market for' the man answered

Neal just stared at the man, begging him to win him over

'So what's the job?' he finally asked

'Government savings bonds, 1980'

'Nice. I hear it was a very good year' Neal said in an attempt at humor

The man didn't laugh.

'So what's the offer?'

'I need help with the ink. I understand it's your specialty' he said

Neal just looked at him smugly.

'Straight deal, one time, twenty grand' the man added

'Thirty' Neal countered without missing a beat

'Twenty' the man repeated, his voice flat

Neal made a move to stand up. His skills were worth much more than twenty grand and he was frankly insulted at the offer – Neal Caffrey would never have done a job like this for less than fifty grand in his heyday but, hey, he knew he couldn't afford to play hard to get - he _had to_ get the job.

'Fine, thirty' said the old man as Neal smiled just before turning back to face him

The fact that he would never see a dime of that money wasn't the issue – Neal had a reputation to preserve.

'Show up tomorrow, 8:00 a.m.' he said, slipping Neal a piece of paper

'Pleasure doing business with you' said Neal, walking away and winking at Jones as he walked by

WCWCWC

Elizabeth placed the roast on the table as everyone prepared to gather around for the impromptu 'dinner/meeting' called by Peter. There were two items on the agenda: their sting operation and June's disappearance. In attendance were the usual suspects: the Burkes, the Caffreys and the little man.

Peter was sitting on the floor in the living room next to Hope as she animatedly described Patricia to him in detail: long, blond, straight hair, brown eyes, good at math – her exact opposite, as it were. Neal and Mozzie sat on the couch with a glass of wine, exchanging theories about June while Sara busied herself in the kitchen as she helped Elizabeth load everything into serving bowls.

'I see Hope has a new friend' Elizabeth said, immediately sensing Sara's uneasiness

'What?' El added 'You've never had an imaginary friend?'

'No' Sara said, indignant as she peered into Elizabeth's eyes 'What? Have you?'

'Of course I have. Who else are you supposed to tell your secrets to when you're little' added Elizabeth

'Her name was Whitney, you know as in Whitney Houston and she had great curly hair, which I did not have and she was dark and beautiful like I definitely felt I wasn't and she could sing whereas I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket' El confided, a faraway look in her eyes

'So, you don't think it's weird?' asked Sara, visibly uncomfortable

'Sara, kids have an amazing capacity for imagination. We can't impose our limits on them if we want them to thrive' she said

The last of the food was served and Elizabeth invited everyone to take a seat.

Hope walked over and looked at the table: 'But, where –' she began before Elizabeth interrupted

'Patricia can sit right here' said Elizabeth pointing to an extra place setting and giving Sara a sideways glance

'So, tell me about the meet, Neal' began Peter as they all settled in to eat

'Well, it's definitely Brown – although he's looking a lot worse for wear. That guy's gotta be in his late seventies if not more' said Neal as he took a forkful of garlic mashed potatoes.

'What's the plan?' asked Peter

'He says he needs help with the ink – and he wants me at 8:00 tomorrow in that very same warehouse we were looking at'

'Alright' said Peter, tucking into his food 'Do I have to remind you to be careful and not be a hero'

Neal looked over at Sara, raising his eyebrows as he spoke 'No, I think that's been thoroughly covered' he said, deadpan

'Auntie Elizabeth, Patricia wants some asparagus' said Hope as she put out the empty plate for her friend

Sara looked over knowingly at Neal – asparagus was Hope's absolute least favorite food; seemingly, it was true, opposites _did_ attract.

'Anything on June?' Neal asked, anxiously. His last calls had continued to go to voice mail and his anxiety was increasing with every passing hour.

'We've checked hospitals and we've checked in with local police. No reports of any incidents involving a woman matching June's description. But Mozzie brought over the security tape so we can have a look after dinner' said Peter

'And I've put the word out underground to see if anyone's heard anything' added Mozzie, who was looking even more anxious and paranoid than he usually did. He bit his tongue as he thought of all the diabolical possibilities running through his mind including alien abduction and disappearance into another dimension. He figured his theories might not be welcome at this point in time.

Neal let out an audible sigh as Sara reached over to touch his leg. 'We'll find her, Neal. Don't worry' she said, knowing full well that her reassurances were in vain

WCWCWC

'Jaylon!' said June, breathless 'I didn't want to believe you had become this heartless and jaded'

'Junie... the big house does stuff to you, you know' the old man said, settling into a chair next to her

'This is totally unnecessary. I have no idea what all this talk is about a plate' said June, indignant, before he even spoke

'Junie, Junie, really. Do you expect me to believe that Byron didn't tell you everything, about everything. You two were thicker than thieves' he said, tongue in cheek

June just continued to stare at her old friend with a look of disdain and defiance.

'Come on June. For old times' sake, your old friend needs some help here –'

June interrupted, her voice loud 'You're no _friend_, Jaylon, you tried to drag Byron down with you when he made it clear he was done with the life'

'Aw, Junie. I'm going to get that plate even if I have to rip your house apart, brick by brick. Why don't you make it easy on yourself and just tell me where Byron hid it'

His voice was arrogant and cold, nothing like the man June had known so many years before. She just stared at him, unblinking.

'Fine, have it your way. But I can wait you out' he said, his voice becoming angry 'and if I need to, I can up the ante; I have no problem with making your life a little more _uncomfortable_' he said cryptically as he stood to make his way to the door, slamming it behind him as he left.

Upon hearing the sound of the door slamming, so final and definitive, a small sob escaped from June's lips, frightening her as it resonated in the empty room.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Neal Caffrey had always been a sound sleeper and it usually took quite a lot to keep him from slumber - maybe it was all those nights spent in prison where there was noise all day and all night. Regardless of the reason, he was usually able to fall asleep unless something was really eating at him and on this Sunday night, he tossed and turned and tossed some more before glancing over at Sara's sleeping form and finally deciding to get up to make his way down to the kitchen for something to drink.

It was just past three in the morning and Neal sat at the kitchen table with a glass of juice and, once again, went over what they knew about June's disappearance.

Had he missed something? Although June and Neal were close, he sometimes went days without talking to her so that, in and of itself, wasn't unusual but the circumstances were definitely suspicious and the ring... there was just no plausible explanation for the ring.

He thought back to the video footage he, Peter and Mozzie had gone over after dinner. Two non-descript men wearing baseball caps and sunglasses had been seen arriving at the front door of the mansion at around ten o'clock on Saturday morning and within a few minutes, June could be seen leaving with them although it was impossible to tell if she was being coerced or not. One of the men was holding her arm and from the camera angle and the grainy texture of the picture, June's face wasn't clearly visible so it was hard to tell if she was leaving willingly or not. The whole episode was highly suspicious but unfortunately, it did not provide any clue as to where June might have spent the last twenty four hours.

He was feeling powerless, completely at a loss as to what to do. He didn't want to have to call June's daughters and worry them but then again... He'd find an excuse to call them in the morning; anything was better than the horrible scenarios that kept playing in his mind.

'Neal?' he heard Sara's voice, soft, behind him

'Hey, sorry did I wake you?' he answered looking up

Sara made her way to her husband, settling in on his lap, putting an arm around his neck and gently running her hands through his hair. Her eyes small with sleep, she blinked as she looked at him.

'What's wrong, baby?' she said 'Is it the job?'

Neal shook his head as he took in the totally disarming woman in his arms. Sara never looked more beautiful than when she was unguarded and ruffled – imperfect yet perfect.

'I just can't stop thinking about June. What if she's in trouble? What if she needs my help?'

Sara squinted at her husband. He was the most amazing man, so loyal to those he loved and he always felt the need to fix things when he perceived people needed his help. Of course, he often acted impulsively which was the flip side of the same coin and his rash behavior had gotten him into trouble more times than she could count but it was all part of the same package and deep down, Sara knew she wouldn't want him any other way.

'Neal, you're not helping June by sitting here in the dark in the middle of the night. If you get some rest, things will be clearer in the morning' she said, the voice of wisdom

Neal gave her a small squeeze and nodded in agreement but knowing and doing were two different things.

'Come on' said Sara, coaxing him 'I'll give you a backrub, that always puts you to sleep'

Neal smiled at his wife and wondered how he ever got so lucky. Sara 'got' him, she understood what made him tick and he was eternally grateful that she was by his side as he faced the small and not so small challenges of everyday life.

He put his empty glass in the sink and let himself be led up the stairs back to their bedroom.

WCWCWC

June wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to finally fall asleep but she woke to some commotion in the large outer room and she slowly sat up to take in her surroundings. It was her second night in this god awful place and she was starting to wonder how this was going to play out. JB had made it clear he meant business and had even uttered a 'not so veiled' threat concerning her safety; she knew he'd changed and was capable of almost anything to get what he wanted.

It hadn't always been like this; she smiled as she remembered a kinder, gentler man in those early years. Jaylon and Byron had been friends since their teens, even before June had met Byron and they'd pulled many small time cons in and around New York. Those had been the good years; sure there was always some element of danger involved but theirs were victimless crimes and certainly never violent. That's where Byron had always drawn the line.

She thought momentarily of Neal and how he reminded her of Byron in that way. Neal was a pacifist, preferring to use his silver tongue, his drop dead gorgeous looks and his undeniable charm to get him out of sticky situations. Byron had been the same, preferring to smooth talk his way out of tough spots, never reverting to violence and June had enjoyed playing backup for Byron in the early years, covering for him, happy to stay in that grey zone, never quite stepping over the line.

But after she and Byron had had the girls and they began to settle down, she had sensed an increasing restlessness in Jaylon, one that he began to have more and more difficulty reigning in. He had never really settled down and he began to take more chances, urging Byron to follow suit which had clearly been against June's wishes. It had caused a rift in their marriage for a time and finally, the men had been caught running an illegal gambling operation which had cost Byron five years in the slammer. Jaylon had walked on that one and by the time Byron had gotten out, he'd seemed harder and more bitter than he'd been going in and June had been concerned when he'd jumped into another job within a few months of his release.

The last scam had been terrifying and Byron had somehow walked away unscathed. JB, on the other hand, had been found guilty of manslaughter and sent down for fifteen years. June had managed to bring her husband back from the brink and he'd never strayed again after that night, realizing what was at stake if he did.

June sighed as all the memories flooded back. She looked down at her hands, the absence of her wedding band hitting her once more; at least, they'd had the decency to untie her hands during the night. Probably felt a woman of her age wasn't much of a menace to them; well, she thought, maybe she'd show them she was still feisty despite her years.

She looked around the space where they were holding her. There was a desk and a couple of chairs and of course the small cot she slept on and there were various papers lying around as well as a pair of cast iron bookends holding up some old binders. She wondered if the space was being used for anything other than this clandestine operation and she turned on the small desk lamp and began looking through some of the papers strewn on the desk. There were several documents, apparently from some Google search, on different government bonds although she noticed several on the same 1980 bond; other articles on printing presses and various types of ink and paper.

Her snooping was rudely interrupted by the door flying open as one of the thugs stood there holding a cup and a plate in his hands.

WCWCWC

Peter sat in the conference room with the rest of the crew discussing strategies to make sure they kept eyes on the operation from a distance while ensuring Neal's safety. Until the counterfeit operation was up and running, they had nothing to pin on this guy so Neal's job was to signal them when they were ready to roll.

It wasn't yet seven thirty and Neal was being briefed and was being handed a one way communication device as he sat there, slicked up in his Neal Caffrey conman persona.

'Are we clear people?' asked Peter as he finished up

He turned to Neal, once again: 'No heroics - ' he began before Neal cut him off

'Peter, I'm good. Don't worry; if I think I'm in any sort of danger, I'll let you know' he said, speaking into his watch as he tried to reassure his buddy that he was on top of the situation

Truth be told, he was much more concerned for June's safety than his own; he'd been undercover on more occasions than he cared to remember and he had rarely gotten himself into trouble he couldn't talk his way out of.

'As soon as they're actually _in production_, you let us know and we're there. The warrant is ready' Peter said, sternly

'Got it' Neal said, turning away and beginning to leave. At the last moment, in an attempt to reassure Peter, he turned around once more and repeated 'Got it'

Peter watched as his friend and partner walked away.

WCWCWC

'Get away from there!' said the thug as he caught sight of June going through the papers on the desk.

June just looked at him defiantly as she came away to sit on the edge of her cot.

'Looks like I'm going to have to tie you up again, lady' he said, impassively as he put the food down on the desk 'Eat and I'll be back in five minutes'

June swallowed hard. She wasn't used to being talked to that way – after all, she was a 'grande dame', a lady of a certain age and she was used to travelling in refined circles. But underneath the veneer, she knew the feisty, old June was still there; she recalled how in her younger days, she'd found herself in all kinds of outlandish and potentially dangerous situations with Byron's scams and she had proven on more than one occasion that she could hold her own.

'_Baby, you were amazing tonight' said Byron as he held June close to him, Frank Sinatra singing in the background_

'_It's going to take more than a few pushy cops to put me off my game' she responded, smiling up at him_

'_I have to say that when I heard them storm in and start asking questions, I got a little nervous' he whispered into her ear as they continued to sway_

'_There was no way I was letting them barge in on you when you had a roomful of 'guests' she said, referring to the high stakes (and illegal) poker game Byron had been hosting up on the third floor_

'_Well, June bug, you gave me just enough time to move everyone to the observation room' he responded, staying on rhythm as he spoke _

_They were quite a pair, June the innocent looking wife of the not-so-innocent conman – and their united efforts usually kept Byron out of trouble – usually..._

She remembered that night as if it were yesterday; Byron holding her close to him, their song playing on the turntable... **their** song - 'It had to be you'. She realized she hadn't listened to that record in over eight years, ever since the day Byron had died in her arms. She couldn't bear to listen to that song; it was just too painful, still, after all these years.

She grabbed for the cup of lukewarm coffee her captor had left and brought it to her lips, choking on the first sip as she heard a voice she recognized coming from the other side of the door.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

'So, where do you want me?' asked Neal as he took in the layout, the cavernous warehouse where Jaylon Brown and his cohorts had set up shop.

They were occupying a small part of the large space with boxes stacked nearby, a large printing press which Neal knew all too well from his earlier years in the business and various printing paraphernalia. He spotted two other men nearby who seemed like they could be muscle, just hanging out not doing much of anything. Jaylon Brown led Neal over to the area where they had set up the presses and pointed to the various containers of ink that he'd been able to secure.

'Paper is coming this morning and I need you to start matching those colours' he said, pointing to the bond which lay nearby

'Okay, I'll see if I have everything I need' said Neal as he took off the leather jacket and threw it on a nearby chair

Jaylon prepared to walk away. 'What about the plate? Where is it?' Neal asked

'We're working on that' answered Brown

'Well, I'm going to need it soon, after I've finished testing the colour samples, I'll need to do some test runs' said Neal

'Leave it to me. We should have it sometime today' Jaylon said as he continued to walk away towards the small office which was located in the far corner of the vacant space

Neal's eyes followed him as he walked away, steady on his feet for a man of his age, and Neal began to set up as he glanced up one last time towards the office, the door opening. His jaw dropped at what he saw inside.

WCWCWC

'Let's go, Hope. I've got to get to work' Sara called from downstairs

'Hope?' she repeated as she saw her daughter appear at the top of the stairs standing there still in her pajamas

'Hope! What are you doing in your pajamas?' Sara said, her voice angry as she started to make her way up to the top of the stairs

As she got closer, she noticed Hope was crying softly and she picked up the speed on the last few steps as she made her way to her daughter.

'What's the matter, honey? Why are you crying?' she asked as she finally reached her, Hope throwing her arms around her mom's hips

'Patricia' Hope whimpered, obviously distressed 'she dirtied my top'

'What do you mean?' asked Sara as the two of them made their way back to Hope's room

Hope lifted the shirt Sara had put out for her to wear and held it up for her to see. It was covered in crayon marks – someone had obviously had a field day coloring on it

Sara let out an impatient sigh, then took a deep breath as she tried to figure out what was really going on.

'Did you not want to wear this top?' asked Sara, trying to understand why her daughter would go to these lengths

Hope shrugged in response.

'Hope, if you don't want to wear this shirt, you can pick another one. I'm just trying to help you get ready faster when I put out clothes for you in the morning' Sara explained as she tried to keep her obvious annoyance out of her voice

She looked at her daughter whose gaze was on the floor.

'You're a big girl now' added Sara 'Would you like to choose your _own_ clothes from now on?'

Hope nodded sheepishly.

'Well, you can tell me if you don't want to wear something; you don't have to do this - ' said Sara as she held up the t-shirt

'But I didn't! It's Patricia!' said Hope, getting upset once again

'Alright, alright' said Sara, taking a deep breath (what would her oh-so-wise husband do, she wondered)

'Why don't _you_ explain it to Patricia then' said Sara, remaining calm

Hope nodded in response.

'Now, pick a top and let's get going, okay?' said Sara, giving her a hug

WCWCWC

Neal was having difficulty concentrating on the work he was supposed to be doing. He'd just gotten a glimpse of June sitting in that office off in the corner and his mind was reeling with possibilities. What the hell was June doing here? And what was her connection with this case? Part of him was relieved to see her safe, although he'd only gotten a small glimpse of her. She certainly didn't look like she was here on a social visit and he began to deduce she was being held against her will. One of the two thugs walked over to where Neal was standing, looking over his shoulder.

'That's quite a talent, getting the ink right, huh?' he asked

'Well, let's just say, I didn't learn this skill overnight' said Neal, smiling at the man in the hopes of establishing some contact

'So...' Neal added, nodding in the direction of the office '...what's going on in there?'

'Aww, some old broad who's holding out on the printing plate' said the man

'Oh, yeah?' said Neal, cool as a cucumber, wanting to keep the other man talking

'Yeah, apparently she's the widow of JB's old partner and she's hiding the plate in her house. We haven't been able to find it yet' he said

'Neal' said Neal putting out his hand as he introduced himself

'Johnny' the other man said, reciprocating

'Listen Johnny, do you have a cigarette?' asked Neal 'I'm trying to quit but I could really use one – helps me concentrate'

Johnny reached into his pocket producing a cigarette and a booklet of matches which he handed over to Neal.

'I'll be right back. I'll just get some air – and I gotta check on my girlfriend – high maintenance, you know' Neal said, smiling and taking the cigarette from Johnny's hand

He made his way out of the warehouse, his heart pounding in his chest, and stepped away from the building, making sure he couldn't be heard. Although whoever was in the nearby van monitoring the situation could hear what was going on, Neal couldn't hear them and he was feeling the need to have a proper conversation with Peter so he took out his cell phone to call him.

'Peter!' he spoke softly when his partner answered

'Neal, what's wrong, why are you calling?' asked Peter

'It's June' said Neal, whispering 'She's here!'

'What? In the warehouse?' asked Peter, incredulous. He was sitting in the van about a mile away and he looked over at Jones as he switched to hands free so Jones and Diana could hear what Neal was saying

'I was setting up and JB went into this office in the back of the warehouse and I saw June inside when the door opened' Neal said, his voice shaky

'Did she look alright?' asked Peter

'From what I could tell' answered Neal 'But I only got a glimpse'

'What the hell does June have to do with all this? You don't think she's -' Peter started before Neal interrupted

'NO' Neal said a little louder than he should have. Of course, June wasn't involved. For some reason he couldn't possibly imagine, she had accidentally fallen into this ugly mess and it was his job to get her out.

'They said she's holding out on them - ' Neal said as he was interrupted by someone yelling in the distance

'Caffrey!' Neal heard from the distance as he quickly hung up and started to walk back towards the warehouse

'I'm not paying you to stand around smoking cigarettes and talking on the phone' said Jaylon, his voice growing angry

'Sorry' Neal shrugged. 'Girlfriend problems' he said, rolling his eyes and pointing to his phone

He smiled his most disarmingly charming smile and walked back in, immediately getting back to work. His eyes were repeatedly drawn to the small office door. For whatever reason, June was locked in there and he had to find a way to get her out.

And he had to do it without blowing his cover.

WCWCWC

Neal spent the next little while mixing colours and comparing them to the various hues of greens and browns on the bond he had been provided. He needed a sample of the paper they would be printing on, though, to get the right match. There had been no action in the direction of the office for the past hour and he was becoming anxious to get in there and see June for himself.

After a while, he made his way over to Jaylon Brown who was off in the distance, chatting on the phone. The man saw Neal coming and hung up, meeting Neal half way.

'I'm gonna need the paper to make sure I've got all the colours right' said Neal earnestly

'Yeah, I've got a lead on some stuff and I was just headed out to pick it up' said Jaylon as he turned to leave 'I should be back in a couple of hours'

Neal returned to his position near the printing press and pretended to resume working as he watched the man leave the warehouse, leaving behind the two thugs who were sitting around playing cards and giggling like a couple of teenagers.

Neal made his way over to the men, hearing them laugh and he pulled up a chair to join them.

Johnny looked up and gave him a small smile but the other guy, to whom Neal hadn't been properly introduced, eyed Neal up and down suspiciously as he seized him up. Without hesitation, Neal took out his killer smile.

'Hi, I'm Neal. I'm the ink guy' he said in a self-deprecating way. 'What are you guys playing?'

The second guy just looked at Neal, obviously unimpressed, and didn't speak.

'So, what's the deal with that old lady in there?' Neal asked, trying to sound casual

'She's a tough old broad' answered Johnny 'We still haven't gotten anything out of her and JB is starting to get really pissed off'

'Shut up, Johnny' said the second man

'What? If we don't get something out of her soon, JB's gonna dump us, Billy' he said

'I could give it a shot If you want. I'm pretty good with old folks' offered Neal 'For some reason, they like me' he added, shrugging 'I guess I have a trustworthy face or something'

'Oh yeah?' said Johnny suddenly interested

Maybe this smart alecky guy could find out something for them, make them look good, he thought.

'I guess it wouldn't hurt if we let you have a go at her. _We're_ not getting anywhere' said Johnny looking nervously at Billy

Billy continued to study Neal. The new guy looked pretty harmless he thought and Billy recalled how he'd had to slap the old broad across the face when he'd found her snooping; if she didn't come clean soon, he would have to amp it up even more. He needed the money from this gig and he could feel that JB was coming to the end of his rope; after all, they were supposed to be the muscle on this operation.

'Why not? Knock yourself out' he said finally 'But if you don't get anywhere, we'll have to get physical; she damn well knows where that plate is and she's been holding out long enough'

Neal put out his hand and Billy handed him the key to the office.

'You've got ten minutes' he said

It took everything for Neal to keep from shaking as he took the key and started slowly towards the office. Just before entering, he lifted his left hand towards his face and spoke:

'I'm going into the office, guys. Pay attention' he said into his watch

He took the key with his shaking hand and without looking back, he placed it in the keyhole as he held his breath, afraid of what he would find on the other side. The door opened, and he took a step inside, his heart breaking as he saw June sitting there, looking very un-June-like, face flushed, hair ruffled and arms pulled back and tied to a chair.

'Neal!' she said, breathless as he brought his finger to his mouth to silence her.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Neal closed the door behind him, rushing to June's side and taking in the sight of her: her eyes red, her hair disheveled, her usually impeccable clothing askew, her whole body shaking.

'June!' he said, standing to make his way behind her to untie her hands

She finally stood, unsteady and threw her arms around Neal's neck as she let all the tension from the last couple of days escape her body, tears streaming down her face.

'I _thought _I heard your voice earlier! I knew you'd find me' she said, tearfully

Neal looked into her face, noticing her cheek was red.

'Are you alright?' he asked, touching her face gently 'Did they hurt you?'

'I'm fine' she answered, swallowing hard as she tried to keep it together

Neal didn't need to know that that thug had slapped her face before tying her back up; she was just so relieved to see him and in that instant, she knew, without a doubt, that he would find a way to get her out of there. Neal moved them both to the edge of the cot and sat them down as he took in the sight of this woman who had come to mean so much to him. He was aware that he only had a few minutes before 'Mutt and Jeff' came looking for him and he needed to let June know what was going on and get as much information as he could from her.

'June, I didn't find you…. _exactly_. It's more like I've stumbled onto you…' he began as he held her trembling hands in his

She stared at Neal, her eyes narrowing, trying to understand what he was saying.

'I'm undercover; I've been hired by JB to be on his crew' he began to explain

'What? I don't understand' she said, her voice shaking as she searched Neal's eyes. Hadn't he come to rescue her and get her out of this god awful place?

'June, look at me' Neal said insistently as he searched her eyes.

She looked bleary-eyed, not totally focussed and he worried whether or not he was getting through to her; she was most certainly not her usual, cool, calm and collected self. All he could see was this woman he cared for so much in absolute disarray, upset and confused and he wanted to take her by the hand and lead her out of this horrible place without looking back. But he had to think things through first. If he smuggled her out, he would be exposing himself and blowing the operation. He needed to get June to safety _without _blowing his cover – and find a way to get that printing plate, otherwise they wouldn't have enough to put Brown and his crew away.

'I'm here undercover – I'm working with Peter and the FBI to break up JB's counterfeiting ring' he explained

He suddenly remembered what he'd put in his pocket that morning before leaving the house and he reached in to take it out.

'I have something for you' he said, taking her hand

He produced her wedding ring, noticing a small smile on her lips as she realized what he was holding in his hands.

'You found it!' she exclaimed as he placed it on her finger sensing that this small gesture was helping her to focus and calm down

'We've all been so worried about you' Neal added as he patted her hand. 'I had no idea you knew Jaylon…'

'He was Byron's partner … at least in the beginning' June answered, her voice shaking 'but he changed over time and he became violent; in the end, Byron didn't want to have anything to do with him'

'Do you know if that plate they're looking for is somewhere in your house?' Neal asked, the million dollar question

June shook her head. 'I'm not sure but… I think so' she finally said, her voice quiet

'And you have no idea where it could be?' Neal asked patiently aware that his time was running out

'Neal, I'm so confused' she answered, beginning to shake

He could sense how overwhelmed June felt and the last thing he wanted to do was add to her stress level and confusion. His priority was to get her out even if it meant compromising the case. Neal looked around, frantically searching the small room one more time in a desperate attempt to do both; he finally got an idea.

WCWCWC

Peter and the rest of the crew were sitting nearby in the van, listening to the conversation between Neal and June. Peter knew his partner well and he had no doubt that he would be trying to play both ends against the middle – plotting to get June out of there as soon as possible while trying to keep from blowing his cover.

This was exactly the kind of situation during which Peter worried about Neal the most – the ex-con would become desperate and start to take chances he wouldn't otherwise consider taking. Peter held his breath as he waited to see what Neal would do next; anytime his heart was thrown into the mix, it was anybody's guess how Neal Caffrey would react.

'Jones, bring us a bit closer to the warehouse' he yelled out

If Neal was going to sneak June out of there, he would need the van to whisk her away and Peter intended to be nearby when that happened.

WCWCWC

Sara picked Hope up at the caregiver's and started to make her way home. She hadn't heard from Neal all day and she hoped that this was a case of no news being good news. She worried incessantly about Neal when he was undercover; he was known for getting the job done at all costs and she fretted constantly that his impulsiveness would trump his rational mind – a safe bet where her husband was concerned. Luckily, he'd had very few serious mishaps over the years (he seemed to have been born under a lucky star) and every time she sent him on his way, she said a silent prayer.

'Mommy?' called Hope from the back seat

'Yes, honey' Sara answered as she manoeuvred the car onto their street

'Patricia wants to know if I'm going to have a baby sister or a baby brother' said Hope, totally out of the blue

Sara coughed to cover her surprise. She and Neal had started trying for another baby several months back - as soon as Dr. Franklin, her oncologist, had given them the green light. But Hope was just three years old and they hadn't discussed any of that with her; this was the first time she'd ever mentioned anything about a sibling.

'Would _you_ liketo have a little sister or a little brother?' asked Sara, her curiosity peaked

'Maybe. Then I would be a _big_ sister' Hope said, thoughtfully

'Yes you would' answered Sara 'and you would be a _very good_ big sister. Look at the way you take care of Patricia'

Hope smiled at her mom proudly, her face reflected in the rear view mirror.

'Why does Patricia want to know that?' asked Sara

'She's afraid I won't be her friend anymore if I have a baby brother' answered Hope as she looked over at her imaginary friend

'Well, even if we do have a baby, Patricia could always be your friend' said Sara, wondering where her sudden parental wisdom was coming from

'See Patricia, I told you' said Hope

WCWCWC

'June, I hope you're not too attached to this place because you're leaving' said Neal, his voice soft, as he stood and began to move furtively around the room

'But, what about you?' she asked, concerned for Neal's safety

'Don't you worry about me, I'll be just fine. Sit here for one minute and I'll be right back' Neal touched June's arm lightly as he slipped out of the office, talking to his backup in the van as he peeked out to make certain he hadn't been spotted. The two men continued with their card game, laughing loudly and seemingly unaware of Neal's movements.

'Peter, drive up to the warehouse' he whispered into his watch. 'Look for me, I'll be standing by one of the exits. I'm getting June out of here - NOW'

The one way communication device was Neal's favorite way of conversing with Peter because the agent couldn't talk back. Peter was totally at Neal's mercy as he listened to his partner's instructions in his headphones.

'What the hell...' Peter muttered to himself 'Jones, drive up to the warehouse and look for Neal. Hurry!'

Neal stepped out behind the small office where one of the exits was located and quietly opened the large door to the warehouse, waiting impatiently for the van to appear. The exit was out of view from the rest of the large open space and Neal prayed that the men would not come looking for him for another few minutes, giving him time to get June to safety.

Jones drove the short distance, making his way around the building as he suddenly spotted Neal standing by the south east door. In a blink, Neal was gone and the van stopped just outside the door, Peter immediately stepping out, waiting for June to make an appearance.

Neal made his way back inside, glancing once more at the two idiots who were completely oblivious to what was going on and he gently took June's arm, reminding her to be quiet as he led her to the open door.

'Go! Peter's right outside the door. I'll catch up with you later' he whispered as he placed a kiss on her cheek

'But - ' she began to argue

'Go! There's no time' he replied urgently as he gently pushed her in the direction of the door.

Peter stood waiting, looking around nervously and hoping they hadn't been spotted. June appeared almost immediately, her gait slow and labored and he ran to help her as she slowly made her way to the van.

'Hey, June. It's great to see you' he said, taking her arm 'We have a special place in the van just for you'

WCWCWC

Neal snuck back into the warehouse, returning to the office and leaving the door ajar as he prepared to put his plan into action. He couldn't see any other way if he was going to keep his cover. He walked over to the small shelf where a number of binders were propped up between two cast iron bookends in the shape of horse heads - the ugliest bookends Neal had ever seen. They would have to do, he thought as he grabbed one firmly in his hand and took a deep breath.

WCWCWC

June settled into the van as Diana handed her a bottle of water and sat by her side, putting a protective arm around her

'You alright?' Peter asked anxiously

June nodded, her whole body shaking. 'What about Neal?' she asked, concerned

'Don't worry about Neal' answered Peter reassuringly 'He can take care of himself'

As the words left his lips, he realized he didn't quite believe them himself; the truth was, Peter wasn't quite sure what Neal had up his sleeve – but he trusted his partner to do whatever he could to try to keep his cover. He just hoped he wouldn't put himself in any unnecessary danger but then again, this was Neal – _of course_ he'd put himself in unnecessary danger.

WCWCWC

Billy moved his eyes away from his crappy card hand and glanced up towards the office, realizing that the 'ink guy' had been in there way too long. Jaylon would be back soon from picking up the paper supply and he sure as hell didn't want to have to explain why he and Johnny were sitting around playing poker when they still hadn't managed to get the information they needed from the old broad. JB had already shown them just how ugly he could get when he was angry and Billy was in no mood to be on the receiving end of the old man's wrath.

'He's been in there long enough' he said gruffly to his partner as he stood and started to walk towards the office, Johnny following close behind.

Noticing the door was slightly ajar, he gave it a good swift kick, aware that something was blocking the door.

'Oh, shit!' he exclaimed as he peeked in and took a look inside

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

'What the hell…' uttered Billy as he pushed the door open and took in the sight of Neal, sprawled on the ground, seemingly unconscious. He had a large gash on his head and blood was beginning to pool on the floor around him.

'Son of a bitch' added Johnny as he peered into the room over his buddy's shoulder

Neal lay still on the floor in the small office, playing possum, pretending to be out cold and he slowly began to move as if he was being roused by their voices. He looked up, bleary-eyed, looking up at the two men who had begun to hover around him. He was still seeing stars from the decisive thump he'd just given himself on the head and he accepted Johnny's arm to help him get to his feet as his mind continued to swim.

'The old lady did this to you?' asked Johnny, checking out the gash on the side of Neal's head

Neal looked up at the two men, feigning embarrassment.

'She waited until I turned around and ... next thing I knew...' Neal said, looking down, avoiding their probing looks

'Well, where the hell did she go?' asked Billy as he began to run around the area outside the office, finally spotting the back door to the warehouse wide open

'Shit!' he muttered as he took off in that direction. This was an old lady; she couldn't have gotten very far, he thought, as he began to run around searching for signs of her.

Johnny sat with Neal, helping him get his bearings.

'That's one feisty old broad' Neal said under his breath as he cautiously touched the gash on his head, his hand coming away bloodied. He would certainly need a few stitches - and some pain relief to address the incessant throbbing in his head but it was well worth it, he realized, as he thought of June safely with Peter and the rest of the WC crew.

Suddenly, they could hear JB's booming voice, yelling at Billy. Neal braced himself for what was to come.

WCWCWC

June was ushered into the White Collar offices, Diana steadying her by holding her arm. She was guided into the conference room where she was seated, Jones appearing out of nowhere with a cup of coffee. She was finally starting to breathe normally as the effects of her ordeal slowly began to dissipate.

'Is Neal alright?' she asked as Peter appeared, taking the seat next to her and taking her hand in his

'June, Neal's going to be fine. What about you? How do you feel?' he asked, concerned

'I'm alright' she answered, most obviously not. Her face was still flushed, her eyes unfocused and her hands still shaking in Peter's grip

'Are you up to telling us what happened?' Peter asked as everyone got situated around the large conference room table

June took a deep breath and began to tell the tall tale which she, herself, was having trouble believing.

'Two men showed up at my house on Saturday morning.' She stopped for a moment as she tried to remember if, indeed, it had been Saturday; suddenly, she was confused.

Peter nodded, encouraging her to continue.

'They asked me where the plate was, where I was hiding it...' she continued

'This is the bond plate, the one they need to carry out their operation?' Peter asked

'I don't know... I suppose...' she answered, her voice shaky

'What do you know about this plate?' asked Peter

June shook her head, as her eyes began to tear up again. 'I'm not even sure' she replied

Peter squeezed her hand once more. 'Take your time, June'

'Jaylon was Byron's best friend for years and they 'worked' together on a lot of jobs' June said, purposefully using the innocuous term. 'Then, about fifteen years ago, they had a falling out – Jaylon wanted Byron to do a counterfeiting job and I overheard them arguing. Byron had been out of jail a short time and he had promised me that he was going straight...'

She stopped and took a sip of coffee, seemingly calming her nerves. June had spent most of her life with Byron avoiding law enforcement types and it suddenly felt strange to be collaborating with them. But this was Peter and she _trusted_ him – and this was Neal and she _loved _him.

'So Byron sent him away but I think Jaylon left the plate... I'm not 100% certain... anyway, a few days later, Jaylon was arrested and we never saw him again. I never actually _saw _the plate but Byron must have hidden somewhere...'

'So that plate is probably still in your house' said Peter

June nodded. 'That's probably what they were looking for when they searched the house last week'

'Any ideas where it could be?' asked Peter patiently

Without the plate, they wouldn't be able to arrest Jaylon Brown or his crew for counterfeiting although, with June's testimony, they had plenty to get him on kidnapping and forcible confinement.

At his question, June just looked up at Peter, bewildered, and shook her head.

WCWCWC

'What the hell do you mean, she got away?' Neal heard Jaylon screaming as the two men got closer to the office.

Neal braced himself – at best, he was probably going to lose his 'job'; at worse, he might be in for a little roughing up.

'Dammit! What kind of bumbling, incompetent assholes are you?' Jaylon spoke as he came into view.

He took one look at Neal and shook his head.

'What the hell was Caffrey doing in here in the first place' he screamed, livid

'We... well, we...' Billy stuttered 'We weren't getting anywhere with the old broad and he asked if he could give it a try'

Jaylon shook his head in disbelief. He glared at Neal, sitting there, looking like a lost little boy

'Well, Caffrey. This has now become _your _problem' said JB, his fist menacingly shaking in front of Neal' s eyes. '_You _got us into this mess and now _you're_ going to get us out'

WCWCWC

Neal surreptitiously made his way to the White Collar offices, careful to check he wasn't being followed. This was a small operation and he knew JB didn't have the manpower to have him trailed so he slipped in the back door of the Federal Building and made his way up to the 21st floor to join Peter and the rest of the crew. As he stepped off the elevator, he was greeted by Diana, who took one look at him and shook her head in disbelief.

'Caffrey! What have you done to yourself?' she asked as she took in the sight of him, a large gash on his head

'I'm fine' he muttered as he pushed past her, heading up the steps to the conference room where he could see the rest of the crew assembled

'Neal!' June called out as she spotted him coming up the stairs

Neal made his way to her as she rose to give him a hug 'Darling, what happened to you? Did they do this to you?' she asked teary eyed

'I'm fine, really. What about you?' he asked as he took a seat at the table

Peter just shook his head in disbelief as he examined Neal, his face contorted and his hair tousled. He could sense there was a good story behind this – wasn't there always where Neal was concerned?

'Neal, we need to have you looked at' Peter said, matter of factly

'I will' answered Neal, totally unaware of just how bad he looked to everyone else

'So, are you still in?' asked Jones, the taskmaster

'Incredibly, yes' Neal responded '_If _I come up with the plate' Neal answered

'Brown is pissed off that I let June escape and now it's up to me to come up with the plate' he added

'Or...' said Peter

Neal rolled his eyes in response, the movement sending a new sharp pain to his battered head.

'Well, first things first. You need to get that looked at right now' said Peter as he stood to leave

WCWCWC

It was almost five thirty when the phone rang in the Caffrey house. Sara was bumbling her way through making dinner, anxiously aware of the fact that she still had no news regarding Neal, as Hope sat in the nearby family room enjoying the one precious hour of television a day she was allowed to watch.

'Neal!' said Sara, into the phone 'I was starting to get worried. Are you alright?'

'I'm fine' he lied. Truth was, he was just about to leave the hospital emergency room with six stitches in his head and a lovely discoloration under his left eye, compliments of the hit he'd ironically given himself.

'We found June' he said as he made his way back out to the car where Peter was waiting with June

'Thank God!' Sara responded as she glanced over to see Hope laughing at whatever she was watching on the tube

'Look, I'll tell you all about it when I get home' Neal said 'I'm bringing June and Peter with me'

'Alright, thanks for the heads up. See you when you get here' Sara said with a sigh of relief

Sara finally gave up, grabbing a casserole from the freezer and placing it to reheat in the oven. Thank goodness for Neal, who always had meals prepared ahead of time. With the lasagna warming up, she began to set the table in the dining room. She somehow had a feeling from the sound of Neal's voice, that there might be a small crowd for dinner and she wanted to be ready when they arrived. Within half an hour, she heard the front door open and Hope ran out to greet her dad.

'Daddy, you have a bobo' she heard their daughter say as she left her post in the kitchen to make her way to the front of the house

'Oh, my God! Neal! What happened?' she asked as she spotted her husband, large bandage on his forehead and a decisive black eye

'I'm fine' Neal insisted as he picked up Hope to kiss her. She raised her hand to touch her dad's bandage and he let out a small groan in response

'Careful, sweet pea' he admonished as he gently put her down to hug Sara, her face full of concern

'I'm fine' he repeated as he looked into his wife's eyes

Suddenly, Sara was aware that Peter was standing there with June and that Mozzie was lurking in the doorway.

She turned to June, hugging her and inviting them all in as they made their way to the dining room.

By the time dinner ended, the sordid tale of what had happened at the warehouse had been retold in detail and June was finally beginning to relax. She was anxious for this whole ordeal to be over with and she was keenly aware that she had to do her part – she had to help Neal find that plate and put Jaylon back behind bars once again where he couldn't hurt her anymore.

WCWCWC

Sara lay in bed, snuggled up to her husband, thankful to have him home in one piece. Neal had suffered some bumps and bruises on undercover operations in the past but this was the first time he'd ever inflicted an injury on himself!

'Neal' she said, her voice languorous as she softly touched his bandaged head 'I can't believe you did this to yourself'

'I didn't have a lot of options' he responded as he cradled her against him 'I had to get June out of there'

'I guess your pride took a hit too, huh?' she asked teasingly as she continued to cuddle

'Mmm' Neal answered non-commitally

He had to admit his dignity had been a casualty – now, people inside the operation believed that an elderly, albeit feisty, woman had inflicted this hit on him. Oh well, so be it. The important thing was that he'd gotten June away from the thugs and that she was now safely ensconced in their bedroom where they couldn't do any more harm to her. He lay with Sara in his arms on the pull out couch in the family room and was suddenly compelled to show _someone_ that his level of testosterone was still intact.

'Neal...' Sara exclaimed as he began to move against her 'I'm supposed to be watching you for signs of a concussion'

'So?...' Neal said as he moved his hands down her body, taking charge of the situation. There was still one part of his anatomy that was working just fine thank you and he suddenly had the urge to show his wife just that.

'Remember when we moved into the house?' he moaned between nips at her ear and neck

'Yeah?' she answered, not sure where he was going with that statement

'We said we'd 'break in' every room in the house' he murmured as he began to move more insistently against her 'Well, I don't think we've inaugurated the family room...'

'Mmm' was Sara's only response as she finally gave in.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The extended Caffrey family, including June, sat around the kitchen table having breakfast as Neal prepared to return to the undercover operation. His head was still throbbing, barely kept under control by the medication the ER doctor had prescribed, but his pride was intact thanks to Sara's cooperation and his performance on the pull-out couch in their family room the night before.

Hope was obviously pleased to have her Grandma June by her side for breakfast, an unusual occurrence, and she had even relegated Patricia to another spot at the table (right between her mom and dad) so June could have a special place by her side.

'How did you sleep, June?' Neal asked as he grabbed for a piece of toast

'Well, after I finished writing up my list, I was able to relax and get some sleep' answered June as she whipped out a piece of paper on which she had jotted down some ideas for Neal

She knew that it was up to her to help him find the printing plate and she'd spent a good hour, lying in bed making a list of places Byron might have hidden the coveted item. The group had discussed a plan of action over dinner, beginning with June making a list of possible hiding places and helping Neal navigate the countless spots where such an item could be concealed in the huge house. Neal had been given a day to come up with the plate – or else – and nobody was anxious to find out what 'or else' would mean. If the item wasn't recovered, Jaylon would be pissed off and he would be doling out punishment to Neal, which he now perceived as the reason for his unfortunate predicament. If and when the plate was found, Neal would return to the job he had ostensibly been hired to do and once production started, Peter would use the warrant he had secured to make an unscheduled appearance and interrupt the counterfeit operation.

Now that Neal and Peter had explained what the plate looked like as well as its size, it had helped June focus somewhat – for some reason she had imagined the item to be much larger than its actual 10" x 6" dimension.

Luckily, Neal still had a criminal's cunning and slyness (those skills just never went away – they didn't even fade, really) and he could easily imagine how _he_ would have gone about searching for a safe place to stow a precious item – after all, he'd done it himself on so many occasions and he knew that the mansion on Riverside Drive was rife with good hiding places. Neal glanced at the list, immediately focussing on one of June's suggestions in particular. He had asked her to think about someplace or something that was precious to Byron and June had noted his record collection – the perfect place to hide an item such as this, Neal thought.

'So, how large is Byron's record collection?' he asked

'Thousands of albums' June admitted, regrettably 'They're mostly down in the parlor, some in the study on the second floor and some in your old apartment too'

'Can we try to narrow it down?' asked Neal, imagining himself sifting through thousands of albums with Jaylon Brown breathing down his neck

June shrugged unsure how she could narrow it down any more than that.

'You must listen to a lot of those old records' said Neal 'You were playing some just last week when we were over'

'Yes, I've listened to a lot of them but I've never come across anything hidden in any of those albums' answered June

'Did Byron have any favorites?' Neal asked, trying to focus her attention

Suddenly, a light went on and June sat up. 'There is one album that was our favorite... and I haven't been able to listen to it since Byron passed away'

Neal's ears perked up as she continued: 'It's a Frank Sinatra album' June said, a faraway look in her eyes. '_It had to be you_. It was _our_ song and I could never quite bring myself to listen to it after Byron died...'

Hope looked up with interest as June spoke. She didn't realize that sometimes people had special songs. Maybe she and Patricia should have a special song.

They were interrupted by a knock on the front door and Neal made his way to the front of the house to greet Jones who had been enlisted to stay with June for the day. Peter didn't want to take any chances with June's safety and until the case was resolved, he wanted someone with her at all times.

Jones made his way to the kitchen to join the group, Sara handing him a cup of coffee as a means of greeting.

'Good morning all' he said as he held up a few board games and a deck of cards 'I hear you're quite the champ at Candyland' he added, addressing June

'Well, that's my cue to leave' said Neal as he rose, adjusting his tight jeans and t-shirt – his undercover outfit as it were

Sara followed him out to the living room, his arm draped around her shoulder as he prepared to return to his life as a master counterfeiter.

'Caffrey, promise me, no high jinks today' Sara said as she laced her arm around his waist and momentarily let her hand drop to cup his ass

Neal turned to face her. 'I'll do my best, ma'am' he said as he placed a soft kiss on her lips, a promise of more to come

'After all, we haven't finished christening all the rooms in the house' added Sara naughtily as she regrettably let him slip from her grasp

'Touché' answered Neal as he stepped out the door

WCWCWC

Neal arrived at the warehouse as arranged and was greeted by the not-so-dynamic duo and a very frustrated and angry Jaylon Brown. If anything, the man was even more pissed off than he'd been the day before and the two thugs stood sheepishly by his side having obviously been casualties of Jaylon's fury. Although Neal had been hired to do a specific and highly skilled job on this operation, he had now been demoted to assisting Mutt and Jeff in finding that damn plate and he was more than anxious to locate it so he could get to work on the press and finally have JB busted. At this point, he knew that June would never be safe with Jaylon lurking around and he was more than anxious to get this guy behind bars once again.

The trio made its way to Riverside Drive and Neal was suddenly relieved that June had thought to call ahead and instruct her staff to take a few days off. He didn't want to have anyone else mixed up in this and he sure as hell didn't want any of June's staff to be caught in the crosshairs of this delicate operation. Neal offered to pick the lock to the front door – a skill that neither of the other two men seemed to have; he wanted to minimize the damage to the beautiful home and he hoped the men would not be too forceful as they searched the house.

The more he thought about it, the more Neal was convinced that an old 33 would be a perfect place to hide a plate of that size. If Byron had made a vow to June to stay on the straight and narrow, their special album would be an ideal place to hide it – a constant reminder of his commitment to June would serve to counter any urge he might have to use that plate and return to the dark side.

WCWCWC

'Mommy, do you and Daddy have a song?' Hope asked as she dilly-dallied in her room, getting ready to go to the caregiver's

Now that Hope had expressed her desire to make her own wardrobe selections, she appeared to be making some very unusual choices as evidenced by what Sara saw when she walked into her daughter's room. Hope was wearing a fairy princess dress she had worn last Halloween, complete with crown and magic wand and Sara sighed as she took in the sight of her daughter.

'Are you almost ready?' she asked, trying to be patient

'Do you Mommy?' she repeated

'Do I what?' asked Sara

'Do you and Daddy have a special song like Grandma June?' asked Hope looking up at her mom, bright blue eyes so innocent and trusting

Sara thought of her staff meeting scheduled for 9:00 and momentarily pushed the thought away, choosing instead to sit on the edge of the bed and put her arm around Hope.

'You know, there are lots of songs Daddy and I like and there was a special song we played at our wedding, but I don't think we really have our _own_ song' she said, suddenly aware that she was a little sad at that realization

Neal was such a romantic and it seemed like a no-brainer that they would have _their _song – the one that instantly brought to mind the love and intimacy they shared and that would make them smile whenever and wherever they heard it. How come they'd never had one?

'Patricia and I have a song' said Hope, her eyes suddenly bright and alive

'Oh yeah?' asked Sara, gazing at her daughter and realizing just how much like her daddy she was

'Huh, huh' answered Hope

'Well, why don't we get going and you can tell me all about it in the car' said Sara as she took her hand

WCWCWC

The house was eerily quiet and Neal was reminded of all those years he'd lived there – the calming effect it had on him every time he stepped in. They discussed strategy and Neal made his way upstairs to his old apartment while the other two men spread out on the first and second floor. They'd been there the week before without success and Neal tried to impress on them that there was no need to desecrate such a beautiful home.

He climbed the all-so-familiar stairs up to the third floor and arrived at his old apartment, complete with many of June and Byron's treasures and memorabilia. When he'd moved in, the room had been replete with books and knick-knacks as well as a healthy selection of record albums which Neal had thumbed through over the years. He didn't have a turn-table in the apartment so he'd never given the record albums more than a fleeting thought but this morning, with that very specific album in mind, he headed straight for the shelf against the wall where they were housed and began to look through them one by one. All the greats were there, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, Etta James...

Etta James – Neal was suddenly reminded of the beautiful rendition of _'At Last'_ that June had sung at their wedding. It was a beautiful song and he was momentarily sidetracked as he remembered how Sara had looked on their wedding day, in this very house, her warm smile and bright eyes as they had exchanged vows. So many songs reminded him of Sara and how much he loved her. He thought about the night they'd danced to Sinatra's _'Strangers in the Night'_ on their first date after Hope was born, the wonderful _'Let's Stay Together'_ they danced to at their wedding reception, the sight of Sara with her big belly lying on the bed while the Supremes sang '_Baby Love'_ on the radio

He snapped out of it, a goofy smile apparent on his lips, and returned to the task at hand. The sooner he found that plate, the sooner this case would be wrapped up and June would be safe.

WCWCWC

Billy searched the front parlor, paying particular attention to the hundreds of record albums that were on display. Neal had suggested that might be a good hiding place and he had begun to look through them when his eyes were drawn to the mantle over the fireplace adorned with family pictures and special treasures.

There were various pictures of June with family and friends and suddenly, his eyes widened at the sight of June flanked by a beautiful redhead and none other than Neal Caffrey all dressed up, seemingly on his wedding day. Caffrey knew June Ellington and from the look of their faces, he knew her pretty well. He grabbed for his phone.

'JB' he said 'I think you'd better get down here and see this'

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The SUV wound its way through the streets of White Plains, Sara at the wheel and Hope in the back, tucked into her booster seat next to her friend Patricia.

'You and me, we're gonna be partners You and me, we're gonna be pals You and me, we're gonna be partners, buddies and pals'

Although Hope had inherited her dad's interest and talent in art, she'd unfortunately been passed over for the singing gene and she continued to bellow the obnoxious tune off-key for the 23rd time as Sara finally pulled onto the caregiver's street with a sigh of relief, now more than anxious to get to work.

She'd created a monster by asking Hope to sing her's and Patricia's special song and her daughter had decided to give her a non-stop rendition extending from their front door until now – 12 minutes later. She sang without interruption, barely taking a breath before launching into the next chorus (or rather a repeat of the same chorus) and Sara was about to lose it as they finally pulled into the babysitter's driveway. They made their way into the house as Hope ran to meet up with her friends in the back yard and Sara wished the sitter good luck as she prepared to leave – she was going to need it.

'Have a good day, honey' Sara called out as she left, the song continuing to resonate in her ears

WCWCWC

Neal continued his search of the loft, trying to keep his mind focussed on the task at hand – not an easy thing to do for someone with his notoriously short attention span. Everywhere he looked, there were reminders of his years living in the apartment, from the endless rows of books, to the wine rack by the door, to the various knick-knacks littering the room - and he had fond memories of his time sharing June's home. He could still see Mozzie lying on the small couch with a book on his lap and a large goblet of fine red wine, a common occurrence, replayed time and time again over the years. How many times had Neal feigned annoyance at finding him there – he had to admit that, years later, it was one of his fondest memories.

It had been a wonderful time; the elation of finally getting out of prison, the excitement and sounds of Manhattan throbbing around him, the thrill of being surrounded by beautiful things, sharing it all with June and of course for the last two years with Sara and eventually Hope. The moments spent with his wife and daughter were the absolute best memories he had of this place: watching Hope grow and develop through the first year of her life as she became her own little person. This is where she'd learned to crawl, to walk and where the sound of her laughter had resonated as the three of them spent countless hours just being together and enjoying each others' company. He glanced over at the bed, reminded of all those lazy mornings he'd laid there with Sara by his side, baby Hope tucked in between them, gurgling and smiling and he couldn't help but smile as he recalled the feeling of absolute fulfillment that inhabited him in those moments.

Despite his resolve to get the task completed, Neal couldn't resist the temptation to peek into Hope's old bedroom at the back of the apartment. He visited it every chance he got – mostly because the sight of the beautiful mural he'd painted for his baby daughter was his single most cherished part of the whole place. Sara knew how much it had meant to him and upon arriving at their new house on moving day, Neal had discovered that she'd arranged for a framed photograph of the mural to hang in Hope's bedroom – a gesture Neal still appreciated to this day. But there was nothing like the real thing and June had promised that it would remain intact as long as she continued to live in the house. It had taken him five months to finish the beautiful piece of art and it covered one whole wall of the room. He remembered every loving stroke – it had been a wonderful time: the anticipation of Hope's arrival, Sara so beautiful as her belly continued to expand, the evenings spent on the couch with his head on her lap talking (and singing) to the baby. He recalled the night they'd rushed to the hospital with Sara's false labor pains, the day he asked Sara to marry him by slipping the proposal in a fortune cookie – they were all amazing recollections and he realized, with a smile, that they were far from done with their story; every day with Sara brought new memories to cherish and his heart swelled at the thought they still had a lifetime to look forward to and tons of new memories to create.

He shook his head, snapping out of his reverie and returning to reality – he realized he had to get this job done if he wanted to keep June safe and out of harm's way. Neal reluctantly made his way back to the bookshelf in the main room and resumed going through the endless rows of record albums. He'd skimmed through roughly half of the third shelf when he finally spotted it: Frank Sinatra smiling at him from the great beyond, a fedora strategically placed on top of his head. It was his best guess at a hiding place and if this didn't pan out, he had no idea what he'd do next. He gingerly pulled the album from the shelf, noting it was thicker and heavier than it should be and smiling at that realization. He carefully pulled the record album out of its sleeve, holding his breath and sure enough, almost as expected, he found the metal plate, tucked inside the cardboard envelope and wrapped in a thin sheet of paper.

His eyes sparkled at the sight of the treasure – its potential worth certainly not lost on Neal. During his early years in New York, with Mozzie cheering him on, he'd 'procured' several plates such as this and he and Moz had set up a very lucrative little business up until the time Peter Burke had come into his life. To think he had spent all those nights in this very room with this treasure within arm's reach – his ex-con eyes continued to stare in disbelief at the item and the incredible potential wealth it represented. If Mozzie had known... he hesitated to think what dark path Moz might have taken him down if he'd made this discovery sooner and he shuddered as he imagined where he might be today if he'd ever acted on such an impulse. He carefully removed the bond plate, momentarily setting it down on the nearby bed and he was preparing to put the record album back in the sleeve when he spied a note, a hand-written note and curiosity got the best of him as he began to read it.

_My darling June,_

_If you find this note, you will also find this treasure. I've been hiding it for JB and I didn't quite know what to do with it but I decided that leaving it here, with one of the most wonderful connections I have to you – our song – would help me to continue to resist using it. You mean so much more to me than any treasure I could possibly imagine. I am nothing without you, June bug, you keep me grounded and centered. You have loved me as I am my whole life, never trying to change me and yet I am totally transformed by you and your love and nothing could possibly compare with the feeling I have when I look into your eyes and see the unwavering faith you have in me. You make me want to be a better man, a man you can be proud to call your husband._

_I love you,_

_Byron_

Neal finally let out a long slow breath, not realizing he'd been holding it in. Those feelings, so eloquently expressed by Byron, totally mirrored his feelings for Sara. He could even hear echoes of his own wedding vows in what Byron had written – the fact that the man had felt grounded and centered by June's love and support – that was exactly how Neal felt about Sara. She totally 'got' him, the good and the bad and she loved ALL of him, without judgement. The faith she had in him over the years had helped him stay on the straight and narrow and he realized that, more than anything, he wanted to do the right thing and have Sara be proud of the man he was.

He was snapped back to reality as he heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Grabbing the plate, he made his way to the door, coming face to face with Jaylon Brown who was holding a very familiar photograph in his hands.

'Care to share with the class, Caffrey?' he said, his voice angry

WCWCWC

Peter and Diana had taken residence in the van about two blocks over from June's place in order to monitor what was going on. Neal was wearing the communication device and for the past hour or so, they'd mostly heard muffled noises as Neal continued to search through the room – sounds that were punctuated by long silences where it was anybody's guess what Neal was doing. They both piped up as they heard Jaylon Brown's voice come through on their earphones, the sound menacing and threatening.

'I can explain...' they heard Neal say as they both perked up and sat at attention.

Whatever Brown had uncovered was putting Neal in an awkward (or was that dangerous) position. Diana's eyes met Peter, silently asking if they should be making a move to intervene or give it another minute.

'Let's see if Neal can save it' Peter said quietly, raising his hand as he continued to listen in

Neal glanced at the picture the old man was holding in his hands, a photograph from his wedding day taken downstairs in the garden – there was June, smiling her beautiful smile flanked by the happy couple. He was busted, he had to somehow explain his connection to June without giving away the intimate nature of their relationship and he really didn't want Sara to be linked to him, just in case Brown had a vengeful streak. If all went well, the man would be arrested before the end of the day and Neal didn't want anyone in his life to be put in any eventual danger. Just like the Grinch, he had to think of a lie – and think of it quick.

'It's true, I _do_ know June' Neal was saying by way of explanation

'It seems like you two are bosom buddies by the looks of this' said Jaylon, pointing to the photograph

'I lived here for a while after I got out of jail' said Neal, so far true and reasonable as far as explanations go. 'June invited me to a wedding she had here for her friend Samantha' Neal said pointing to Sara 'I was one of the guests'

Jaylon eyed him suspiciously. Although the explanation seemed plausible, this was much too suspicious to be a coincidence.

'So was June escaping from the warehouse your doing?' he asked

Neal pointed to the bandage on his forehead and the black eye which was now more of a dark purple and green and rolled his eyes.

'You're telling me June did that to you?' JB asked, suspicious

'Look, there's no love lost between me and June' Neal lied 'I stole from her and I left here on bad terms and when I recognized her at the warehouse, I leaned a little harder than I should have and I think she just got pissed off. She is a very feisty woman – and vengeful, I might add' Neal said, gingerly touching his forehead

'Whatever...' Jaylon said, his mood suddenly changing as he spotted the plate Neal was holding in his hands

'You got it!' he exclaimed as his eyes and hands moved to the printing plate 'Finally!'

Neal nodded. For the time being, he'd managed to move JB's attention away from June and to the printing plate, the ultimate prize.

'Alright boys. We've got some work to do' said JB as he lead the way.

Peter turned to Diana and shook his head in disbelief.

'I don't know how – but he's done it again' he said incredulous

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The municipal van transporting Peter and the crew wound its way slowly through the streets of Manhattan making its way back to its original point of recon, by the waterfront. Somehow, Neal had managed to play to Jaylon Brown's need for greed and the prize he'd finally gotten his hands on had been sufficient to distract the old man, at least temporarily, from any suspicions he had about Neal and his relationship with June. If everything went according to plan, the crooks would begin to produce the bonds before the end of the day and Peter would be able to storm in and finally make his arrest – thanks to the intel they had uncovered earlier on in the case. Without the photographs the team had managed to secure of the printing press being moved into the warehouse, it would have been difficult to get a warrant; thankfully, the judge who had issued said warrant had been satisfied with the evidence the White Collar team had been able to produce and had found it sufficiently damning to proceed.

Now, all that was left was to sit tight and wait for Neal to utter the agreed upon take-down phrase. Peter settled in for the wait, Diana at his side and a handful of agents standing by; life in the van was tedious at the best of times, made worse when you got any more than a couple of people crammed in there. It was hot and sticky, even worse without the A/C when the van was parked, and Peter let out a long slow breath as he called over one of the probies, instructing him to go on a food run for everyone. This could take a little while, might as well have something to eat while they waited.

Peter sighed deeply as he thought of all the things that _could _go wrong – this was Neal after all and everybody knew to expect the unexpected when Caffrey was undercover.

WCWCWC

Sara sat in her office, her mind miles away from the file that was laid out before her on the desk. She was still involved in active recovery and, to Neal's chagrin, there were still some tricky and potentially dangerous situations related to some of her cases but she'd grown much more cautious since she'd become a mom. Gone were the days when she'd take off by herself to a remote location on an anonymous tip, armed with only her trusty baton and her ballsy attitude. She'd learned her lesson with the Jonathan Martin case, early on in her pregnancy, when she'd suffered a severe beating at the hands of a couple of thugs; nothing was worth putting herself in that type of situation again especially now that she had Hope to think about.

Thanks to a tip from Mozzie, she had recently recovered a Cecilia Beaux painting which had been stolen from one of Sterling Bosch's wealthiest clients' private collection. She looked over at the beautiful portrait as it sat on the nearby easel, a smirk of satisfaction on her face. Mozzie had become a regular informant on some of her cases especially when he wanted to burn someone who had 'done him wrong' – at least in Mozzie's sometimes warped mind. As time went on, he was enjoying collaborating with Sara; she was always discreet and so far his name had been left out of her recoveries protecting him from any fallout from the fences he regularly ratted out. It had made for a tidy little income and Mozzie quite enjoyed the feeling of being part of a take-down – Sara Ellis wasn't so bad after all.

Sara hadn't told Neal yet but she'd recently met with her boss, Winston Bosch, to discuss her interest in the new position of team leader for the group of six insurance investigators who specialized in recovery for the firm's most elite clientele – the clientele that received premium service from Sterling Bosch (and who paid premium prices to get it). Sara had proven herself over the years to be a committed and loyal employee at the firm and despite her six month absence almost two years before as she recovered from her bout with cancer, she had been a permanent fixture at Sterling Bosch for over ten years. This new position would enable her to stay involved in recovery – albeit less directly – supporting the team of younger investigators, bringing her expertise to the table and acting as mentor to the less experienced staff; the fact that it would be a promotion accompanied by a healthy pay raise didn't hurt either. But the thought of leaving the more active job behind also had its downside – Sara loved the thrill and excitement of recoveries and she hated to think about giving it up...

This morning, however, her mind was a few miles away – her thoughts were of Neal and his undercover operation at the waterfront. Seeing him walk in with a bandaged head and black eye the night before had scared her and had renewed her omnipresent fears for her husband's safety. Although he always made light of any injury he sustained, she knew better: Neal often took unnecessary chances during undercover assignments. He continued to be the impulsive, impetuous man he'd always been, especially if someone he cared about was in any danger – whether the danger was real or perceived on his part. She loved his unfailing loyalty and his brazenness but she hated the danger it put him in and she struggled daily with the dichotomy, having realized years ago that _this_ was Neal Caffrey, for better or for worse - and if she was honest with herself, she wouldn't want him any other way. His recklessness and spontaneity contributed in making him the exciting man he was and she knew that if she ever insisted on him toning it down, he would most definitely relent but he would inevitably become miserable, losing that part of himself that made him feel so alive and made him so much fun to be with. Unconsciously, she shook her head willing the uncomfortable thoughts away.

She checked her watch and returned to the task at hand; her report was due in an hour and this was definitely not the time to be in the boss's bad books.

WCWCWC

June and Clinton Jones had been sitting at the kitchen table of the Caffrey home playing gin rummy for a little over an hour when a decisive knock was heard at the front door. Jones stood, hand on his gun and was making his way to the front of the house when he spotted the small bespectacled man through the living room window. He smiled at the sight of Mozzie and opened the door to him, standing there with a box of doughnuts from the local coffee shop.

'Good morning, Junior Suit' he said, deadpan, at the sight of Jones holding the door open for him

'Good morning, little man' Clinton responded

'There better be some Boston cream in there' he added as Mozzie breezed his way past him

'What kind of self respecting person _wouldn't_ include Boston cream in his selection' answered Mozzie, dismissively, rolling his eyes and making his way to the kitchen at the back of the house

The relationship between Mozzie and the White Collar crew fluctuated between suspicion and distrust and periods of détente when they collaborated on cases without actually calling it that – admitting to teaming up with the suits would just be too much for Mozzie to own up to. Instead, he continued to walk the fence, Neal being the constant link between the two worlds and to be honest, Mozzie enjoyed the fact that he could pick and choose the cases in which he helped the suits. For Peter and the crew, Mozzie had become an invaluable ally in many situations and it was often a case of turning a blind eye to his minor misdemeanours – picking their battles so to speak. All told, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement neither party wanted to examine too closely nor wanted to see end anytime soon.

Where June was involved though, there was not a single shred of doubt; Mozzie and June's relationship was stable and enduring; after all, they were alike in so many ways, two peas in a pod, so to speak. The initial distrust he'd felt when he'd first met her (the same distrust he'd had for every single individual he'd ever met) had turned into a genuine and abiding friendship, based on a similar past and comparable value system. There were definite lines that neither Mozzie nor June would ever cross and their loyalty and love for Neal had been a cementing factor in their friendship. Although June had left the active criminal life behind years before, she wasn't averse to walking that fine line between right and wrong, between black and white, and the relationship between her and the conman was now undeniably and everlastingly rock solid.

Without waiting for an invite, Mozzie made his way to the table and grabbed the deck of cards, beginning to shuffle as Jones looked on warily.

There was no way he was sitting this hand out.

WCWCWC

Neal and the trio of thieves arrived at the old warehouse in early afternoon with the bond plate finally retrieved. At this point, JB didn't quite know what to believe as far as his counterfeit guy was concerned and he decided his best tactic was to keep a close eye on Neal's movements making certain his muscle stayed nearby in case of trouble. Regardless of what may or may not have transpired in that room between June and Neal, the conman was still the expert in counterfeiting and JB had no choice but to trust his 'ink guy'.

Although the ink had been thoroughly tested and Neal had settled on the exact hues for the type of paper they were using, there was still the matter of making some test runs with the actual plate - something that would take several hours to complete to Neal's exacting standards. It didn't matter to the ex-con that the printing was all subterfuge, he enjoyed the actual counterfeiting process and he proceeded to start testing the printing plate, adjusting the ink as he went and meticulously comparing his product to the original bond JB had provided.

He could well imagine Peter rolling his eyes nearby in the van; after all, Neal just had to say the word and the FBI would be storming the place, finally ending this ugly mess of a case. But he just couldn't bring himself to be party to a less than perfect product and he kept fiddling with the ink and trying to get it just right. After all, his reputation was on the line here and anything less that perfection might sound alarm bells for Jaylon Brown and put him further at risk. He worked slowly, deliberately, enjoying the thrill of this rare moment – after all, he didn't know if and when he would ever have the chance to work undercover as a counterfeiter again.

'How much longer?' asked JB as he looked on, impatiently

'Until it's right' answered Neal dismissively 'That's what you're paying me for, isn't it?'

WCWCWC

Peter listened in, sipping the horrible coffee the probie had delivered to the van. Dammit Neal, just call it already he thought as he took a long pull on the lukewarm sludge. He knew that this was just Neal's way of gaining control over the situation – Neal needed to be the one to decide when the time was right for the take-down and Peter knew deep down that his partner took some warped pleasure in calling the shots. After all those years of being under Peter's control, Neal loved these situations where Peter was totally at his mercy – and Peter, well Peter hated them.

Neal continued the intricate work and after what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, Peter finally heard Neal call Jaylon over to look at the final product.

'See?' Neal said, needing to show off 'The colors are identical and the paper is a perfect match'

Jaylon just looked on, rather jaded – he wasn't an expert; wasn't that what he was paying Neal the big bucks for?

'So, are we ready to start printing?' JB asked, excitement in his voice

'Why don't you do the honors?' answered Neal, smiling and motioning to the start button on the press

WCWCWC

'That's it, people. That's the take-down phrase' Peter yelled as everyone took their place. The van took off like a bat out of hell towards the warehouse.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

As soon as he'd uttered the magic words, the tension in Neal began to skyrocket. He absolutely hated the last few moments of an undercover operation – the moment when his backup was on the way and all hell could potentially break loose. It was the moment when things went from 'totally in his control' to 'totally out of his control' and he knew in those moments that all he could do was duck and get the hell out of the way.

In the early years, it had been even harder for Neal to deal with that reality – back then, he hadn't fully developed that all-important faith and trust that Peter and the FBI crew always had his back. For a guy who'd worked alone most of his life, it was a huge leap of faith that he still struggled with at times. Sure, he and Mozzie were partners and had teamed up on numerous capers over the years but when he was out there, carrying out the con, he was on his own and he had no one to rely on but himself and that's how he liked to work – _all _the risk and _all _the glory. When he'd first begun working for the Bureau, the thought of relinquishing that control to someone else had been unthinkable for Neal – until he started to work with the likes of Peter Burke that is. His partner had never once let him down and as the years passed, Neal realized he never would. Regardless of his unfailing faith in his partner, Neal was acutely aware that there were tons of uncontrollable factors during a take-down, not the least of which was the fact that he was often surrounded by idiots armed with guns who could start shooting indiscriminately at any time. He'd learned over time that people reacted in strange and unexpected ways when the shit hit the fan and his motto was to get the hell out of the way and try not to get caught in the crossfire.

WCWCWC

Sara stood in line at their neighborhood grocery store and kept a wandering eye on Hope who was standing nearby seemingly mesmerized as she stared at the display of candy bars by the cash register. After her brief meeting with her boss and his words of praise for closing the Browning case, Sara had realized she couldn't concentrate on work any longer and although it had only been three o'clock, she'd decided to pick Hope up early and head home to see if there was any news on the undercover operation. She began placing the sundry items she had picked up for dinner on the check-out counter as her mind wandered once again to Neal and what he might be up to. She was hoping that when she finally made it home, there would be good news or better yet that her husband would be there to greet her but she knew better; these ops often took longer than expected and afterwards, Neal would be expected to debrief at the White Collar offices before heading home.

Hope looked pleadingly at her mom, bringing Sara back to reality. She knew better than to ask for a candy bar – when Sara said no it was always a definite no whereas when she was out with her dad, there was always that chance Neal would cave in to her persuasive pleas.

'Fine!' said Sara in her usual gruff way 'Take one but just one'

She fully expected Hope to ask for a second one for Patricia but the child just smiled, her eyes glowing and started to reach out, making her choice. Sara stood patiently as the clerk rang up her purchases, taking out her wallet and preparing to pay when she spotted the shiny item in her change purse. Neal had entrusted her with his wedding band when he had begun the undercover operation and she had thrown it in there for safekeeping. She lovingly took the ring in her hand, twirling it and recalling all of its significance. She thought back to the moment when she'd placed the ring on his finger, that day just over three years before when they had both taken that giant leap of faith in June's garden, surrounded by their friends and family. She remembered staring at it on Neal's finger when they were first married; she'd been fascinated at the sight of it – looking so foreign and unexpected on the finger of a man such as Neal Caffrey – now _somebody's _husband, _her_ husband! Over time, it had become less startling to see it there on his finger as Neal embraced all that was involved in being a husband and father. Now, he'd told her as they lay in bed the night before, he felt naked without it.

Once the anklet had come off, she remembered asking him if he felt tethered now that he had a wedding band and Neal had answered something sweet about marriage being a life sentence he wanted more than anything. As far as she could remember, it was only the second time Neal had taken it off since their wedding day – the second operation where it was safer that the perps not know Neal was a married man, just in case.

'42.53' said the clerk suddenly

'Excuse me?' answered Sara as she returned to life on earth

'Your total; 42.53' he repeated

Sara smiled and reached for some cash.

WCWCWC

Neal looked around the large space, silently strategizing where to position himself in the room as he held his breath and waited for the other shoe to drop. The two thugs were lurking around, both armed, and Neal knew that anything could go wrong once the FBI finally stormed an operation. One false move and there could be a hail of bullets flying in both directions. He briefly thought back to the Osborne case the year before where he'd barely had time to duck when the exchange of fire exploded around him. You just never knew how an armed person would react when threatened and although the FBI presence in a take-down was always decisive and unequivocal, there was always the odd chance some idiot would think he could outrun or outshoot a dozen federal agents.

He had arranged with Peter to have the crew enter the warehouse by the large door which stood behind the office – the same door June had escaped from and he stepped back, letting Jaylon start the press and making sure he wasn't standing between JB's muscle and the door where a dozen or so agents and probies would soon be crashing in.

The loud sound emanating from the printing press could be heard reverberating against the cavernous walls masking any sound the FBI crew might be making on its approach and Neal just held his breath and hoped for the best.

WCWCWC

'There's no way you had an ace!' exclaimed Jones, indignant, as he looked down at Mozzie's hand

'Hum. I beg to differ, Junior Suit' said Mozzie, his voice loud and his tone defensive

Jones flipped over the cards which had been discarded earlier in the game, revealing three aces, four with the one he was presently holding in _his _hand.

'Well, this deck seems to have two aces of spades. Care to explain?' asked Jones accusingly

Playing any game of 'chance' with the likes of June and Mozzie was a recipe for disaster. Although the duo enjoyed finding ways to pull the wool over each other's eyes and both of them admired a good attempt at skewing the odds in their favor, Clinton came from a good honest family where cheating of any kind was abhorrent and not tolerated. He was also reputed to be too proud for his good and a sore loser to boot. Mozzie's attempt at winning had just sent his blood pressure into the stratosphere.

June just looked on, amused, as always admiring Mozzie's attempt - in this case, uncovered - to alter the outcome of the game. She had noticed his little manoeuvre back three hands ago and she had just been waiting for Jones to pick up on it and call Mozzie on his deception. Now, she stood back sipping her cup of tea and enjoying the show.

'Look, I can't explain how this happened but this is definitely the 'original' ace of spades' Mozzie was saying, his voice indignant at the accusation

Suddenly, the front door opened and Sara's voice could be heard wafting through the house as her stiletto heels click clacked on the hardwood floor.

'We're home' she said making her way to the back of the house with the bag of groceries in her arms

'Uncle Mozzie!' Hope screamed at the sight of her second favorite uncle

'Hope!' he countered, happy for the distraction as he put his arms out to hug his niece

Sara stepped into the kitchen, taking in the look on the three faces and realizing she had just walked in on something she'd rather not know about. Deciding it was a better tactic to just ignore the tension in the room, she forged ahead, going in a whole other direction.

'Any news yet?' she asked as she sat joining the others

'Neal found the plate' said June, excitedly

As much as she appreciated Neal and Sara's hospitality, June was anxious to get back home and resume her life. She had a busy social calendar which included concerts, dinners out with friends and even some volunteer work and she loved her rich and full life. Staying with the Caffreys, although enjoyable, was cramping her style.

'That's great. What about the take-down?' asked Sara anxiously, this time looking over at Jones

'They're at the warehouse as we speak waiting for Neal to give the take-down order' said Jones, shrugging

Sara let out a long sigh – she hated this part of any undercover operation; the moment when Neal was exposed and most vulnerable. While he was undercover, there was always some element of danger but Neal knew how to handle himself and she trusted his judgement – after all Neal had been dubbed Mr. Silvertongue for a very good reason. But as soon as the crooks figured out or even _suspected_ that Neal was in on the take-down, he instantly became a target with a giant bull's eye on his back. On most cases, Sara would simply get a 'Neal-sanitized' version of the take-down after the fact and she didn't even have time to worry about it but this time... she knew too much.

Although Sara was most definitely not a 'donut' kind of gal, she felt a gurgling in her stomach realizing she had totally skipped over lunch. She opened the box of donuts lying on the table and upon witnessing the meagre offerings, couldn't help but mutter.

'What? No Boston cream?' she asked, disappointed

WCWCWC

The roar of the printing press continued as it began to slowly spew out the counterfeit bonds. Although aware that time was running out, Neal couldn't help but take a moment to glance over at the finished product and a sense of pride and accomplishment momentarily came over him for a job well done. He was proud of his handiwork; too bad those fake bonds would never see the light of day - he liked to think they would have passed muster at the hands of even the most discriminating of experts. He reflected on how lucky he was to carry out these undercover jobs without any of the risk of landing himself back in the slammer and he smiled smugly to himself. He took a few steps back, noticing the two thugs were distracted by the bonds as they slowly spilled out of the machine. He inched his way towards safer ground - just getting the hell out of the line of fire.

Suddenly, a roar of a different kind was heard as Peter appeared in Neal's field of vision flanked by a dozen or so agents, guns drawn. Neal prepared to put his arms up in surrender – the usual protocol during a take-down; his 'arrest' being an important factor in keeping him safe, at least temporarily.

'FBI! Everybody freeze!' Peter suddenly called out

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The warehouse was suddenly flooded with FBI agents who wasted no time surrounding the four men who had just been caught in flagrante delicto. The two thugs, looking more like a couple of deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming Mack truck just put up their hands as they surrendered without incident; they might be muscle but they knew when they'd been overpowered. Jaylon Brown stood, paralyzed, by the printing press, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of the crew, guns drawn. Neal played along as de rigueur, letting himself be cuffed along with the other three men as he spotted Peter giving him a small wink.

'Jaylon Brown' Peter was saying as he personally cuffed JB 'You are under arrest for counterfeiting and intent to traffic counterfeit bonds'

Jaylon looked on, staring momentarily at Neal, boring into his eyes as he tried to figure out if Neal Caffrey had any role in the take-down. Neal just looked away playing his role to the end, looking downtrodden, ostensibly angry at being once again in custody. As always, he hoped his true role in the operation was never uncovered – he had enough enemies as it was.

WCWCWC

Sara was getting dinner underway as the threesome of June, Mozzie and Jones sat at the nearby kitchen table chatting. Mozzie's little manoeuvre had brought the card game to an abrupt and sudden end and everyone had reverted to safe and idle chatter as they waited for news from Peter and Neal.

Hope came up to Sara as she stood by the sink, rinsing lettuce and wrapped her arms around her mom's hips, an unusual occurrence for the usually independent little girl. Sara crouched down coming face to face with her daughter, noting a certain look of sadness in her eyes.

'What's the matter, honey? Why aren't you playing with Patricia?' Sara asked, wondering at what point in time she had finally accepted that her daughter had an imaginary friend

'She's gone' said Hope sadly

'Gone?' echoed Sara

'She went home' answered Hope

'Is she coming back for dinner?' asked Sara as she gently touched her daughter's curls

'No, I told her she could stay home. Mommy, can I go over to Olivia's?' asked the child, referring to her best friend Olivia Mason who lived three houses over

'We could call her and see if she wants to come over for a visit' said Sara as she grabbed for the phone

Hope nodded and her smile returned. It seemed that Patricia's services were no longer required.

WCWCWC

Neal and Peter made their way to the White Collar offices where the trio of crooks were being interviewed. The partners watched as Diana did the honors in the interrogation room, the felons unaware they were being observed by their counterfeit guy on the other side of the glass.

'Smooth take-down' said Neal, sounding somewhat relieved

'Case-book' answered Peter 'Good job out there, Neal!'

Neal just smiled as he took in the compliment.

'What took you so long to give the order?' Peter continued

'I just needed to get the bonds just right' answered Neal, as if it were a no-brainer

Peter just looked over, eyebrows raised. Neal would always be Neal and if this is what it took to keep his urges in check, he could live with that.

'You know those things are just going to be destroyed' said Peter looking over at his partner knowingly

Neal just shrugged 'I know...' he responded

'They are amazingly good, though' Peter added. He knew that was exactly what Neal needed to hear.

'Oh, yeah?' answered Neal, fishing for more

'Yeah, it's a real shame... Did you have fun?' asked Peter

Neal just smiled and gave his partner a familiar smirk which was a mixture of arrogance and self-satisfaction.

'I'm just going to let Sara know everything's okay' he said as he pulled out his phone

On the other end, Sara's phone vibrated on the kitchen counter and she pounced on it as she read the two reassuring words she'd been waiting all day to hear.

'Coming home'

WCWCWC

By six o'clock, Jones and Mozzie had left and Sara found herself alone in the Caffrey house with June. Hope had been invited over to her friend Olivia's house for dinner and Donna Mason had insisted she bring her pajamas and stay for a sleepover, a proposition that had been greeted with a shriek of joy on Hope's part.

Now that JB was in custody once again, June was safe and Jones had joined his cohorts at the White Collar offices to clean up the arrests and get everything squared away.

As June and Sara sat chatting, the front door could be heard opening and Neal suddenly appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, a big smile on his face, arms open wide as June stood to give him a hug.

'It's all good June. You can finally go home' he said as he held her against him

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his wife looking on fondly, smile on her lips and relief in her eyes at the sight of him and he gave her a small wink, obviously just as relieved as she was to finally be home safe and sound.

'Will you take me?' June asked, impatient to get going

'Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner, June?' Sara asked as she made her way to them and placed a reassuring hand on the woman's back

'Thank you, darling but I'm really looking forward to getting back home' June said as she hugged Sara

She wasn't quite sure when exactly her feelings for Sara had changed but the metamorphosis was complete and she had nothing but love and admiration for Sara Ellis, the woman who had been such an enigma in the beginning and who was now Neal's life partner and the mother of her granddaughter.

June was ready to go within minutes and Sara waved them off, urging Neal to return as soon as possible. She had something special in mind and she thought she could pull it off in the time it took Neal to make a return trip to Manhattan.

WCWCWC

The SUV arrived in front of the mansion on Riverside Drive just after seven o'clock and June stepped out into the sunshine, visibly relieved that this ordeal was finally behind her. Neal held the front door open for her as they both stepped in and made their way to the main living room. Although he was anxious to get back home to Sara and to his life, Neal wanted to sit with June, make sure she was alright and share the discovery he'd made earlier on in the day. He excused himself for a moment as he ran up the three flights of stairs to his old place in order to retrieve the record album and its precious content, the _real_ treasure – the one Byron had left for his wife all those years ago. He was slightly embarrassed that he'd read the note before June had but that couldn't be helped so he grabbed the album and ran down the stairs to find June sitting in an armchair, her eyes closed.

'You alright?' he asked as he took the seat next to her

'Yes, darling. I'm just tired. It's been a busy few days' June said, her eyes sad

Neal nodded in agreement and June looked down, noticing what he was holding in his hands. She smiled weakly – the album represented so much: wonderful memories of Byron which were strangely bittersweet now that he was no longer here to share them with her.

'June, there was something for you hidden inside the record album' Neal finally said as he pulled out the note and handed it over to her

She looked at him questioningly as she took the note and immediately recognizing her late husband's handwriting, she let out a gasp.

Neal stood and crouched in front of her, holding her hand as she began to read the love letter Byron had left for her all those years ago. Her eyes widened and began to glisten as she took in the contents of the note, finally letting out a sob as Neal's eyes remained on her, his hand firmly clutching hers.

'I can't believe this has been in the house all these years' she began, sobbing '... and I never knew'

'He loved you _very much_' said Neal quietly as he watched June try to collect herself

June was a proud woman and she didn't like to show her emotions; she had been through much in her long life, some joy but much pain and loneliness and Neal suddenly wished he could make all the hurt go away. She looked longingly at the album cover and Neal could guess that she was reliving all those times she and Byron had listened to their song.

'Would you like me to put on the album?' Neal asked, unsure if that would make things better or worse

She nodded as she wiped her eyes. Neal stood and made his way to the old record player which June kept in the living room to listen to all her favorites; she was old fashioned in that way, preferring 33s to CDs and Neal had long ago learned that about his landlady.

The song began; Frank Sinatra's velvety voice embracing the words and a sad smile came to June's lips as Neal looked on. He suddenly put out his hand and June looked up at him.

'I know it's not the same... but can I have this dance?' Neal asked, rather sheepishly

A large smile erupted on June's tear stained face and she took his hand, rising rather unsteadily as Neal gently put out his arms to welcome her into his embrace.

June tucked her body into Neal's, closing her eyes and suddenly she was transported to a time where she'd swayed in this very spot in Byron's arms, safe and loved. He had been a faithful and loving husband and she had nothing but fond memories of their time together as she realized just how hard he'd struggled to stay true to the promise he'd made to her.

Neal held her close, feeling her so small and fragile against him and he wished he'd met this wonderful man that brought out all those loving feelings in June; he somehow knew they would have been good friends, both of them sharing a love and a respect for this strong and loyal woman he was holding in his arms.

The song ended and June looked up at Neal, her eyes still glistening but her smile shining through the tears.

'Thank you, Neal' she said simply '... for everything'

WCWCWC

Neal smiled all the way back to White Plains. He'd done right by June and this made him feel great. She was like a mother to him and he felt so protective of her, wanting to keep her safe and happy at all costs. His smile broadened even more as he thought of the other amazing woman in his life who was waiting for him at home – home, what a concept, he thought.

WCWCWC

Sara put the finishing touches on the table in the dining room; she was by no means 'Martha Stewart' but she had terrific taste and she certainly knew how to set a beautiful table. She lovingly placed Neal's wedding band on his dinner plate for him to find; she looked forward to seeing it back on his finger where it belonged.

Candles glowed on the table as well as in the living room, all other lighting having been turned off in order to set the mood she was creating now that the sun had gone down. She didn't remember ever eating alone with Neal in their dining room. As a family, they always ate at the kitchen table unless they were having company and Sara smiled in satisfaction as she looked around the room, everything in place for Neal's return.

She made a few last minute adjustments in the mirror in the powder room and checked the sound system one last time as she heard the front door open and spotted Neal standing there, still decked out in his undercover garb – jeans and a t-shirt, looking much younger than his years.

'Hi' he said hesitantly as he re-opened the door and looked out at the address on the outside of the house – 4788 – and Sara looked at him puzzled 'Just checking. I thought I had the wrong house'

He made his way slowly to his wife, staring unblinkingly at her as he walked. 'You look beautiful... what's going on?'

Sara shrugged in response. She had changed into a beautiful green dress Neal particularly loved – a dress she'd worn to June's a few years back – a dress she'd only worn on two other very special occasions. It made her eyes sparkle and the soft candlelight danced on the shimmery material accentuating every one of her movements.

'Thanks. I was only going for _nice_' she responded as he finally stood in front of her, arms at his side, taken in by the beautiful woman in front of him

'Is this for us?' he asked as he spied the meal on the beautifully set table

'Who else?' she responded as she finally closed the small distance between them, gently touching his smiling face

Neal glanced at the table, noticing something shiny as the candlelight hit it and he took two steps to retrieve the item, slipping it onto his finger with a sigh of relief.

'I hate it when I have to take this thing off' he said, looking down at his hand with satisfaction

'Where's Hope?' he asked still trying to get his bearings; this was a very different welcome than the one he'd been anticipating, not that he was disappointed in any way.

'It seems Patricia has moved out so she went over to Olivia's' she said as Neal snaked his arms around her waist '... for a sleepover' she added, making Neal's eyes sparkle even more.

'Can you give me five minutes – I'd really like to do this justice and change my clothes' he said, placing a suggestive kiss on his wife's lips

'Do you need help?' she asked naughtily

'Why don't we save that for later when I have to get _out _of my clothes' Neal responded, not missing a beat

He returned within the promised five minutes, quite a feat for Neal who usually took much longer to get dressed. He had changed into a pair of dress pants and a green shirt he knew to be one of his wife's favorites and made his way down the stairs towards the dining room as he spied Sara placing the last of the food on the table. She looked amazing and suddenly all the worries and tension from the past week dissolved at the sight of her, welcoming him home in such an unexpected and enjoyable way. He hoped the food would keep because he had the feeling there might be more pressing business to attend to.

'So, what do I owe all this to?' he asked finally reaching Sara and taking her in his arms

'Well, indirectly, you can thank your daughter' she answered, looking up into his dark, intense eyes

He looked on, puzzled.

'Hope asked if we had a song, our own special song and I realized that we've never actually had one and... I thought it was time we did' she said slowly as she ran her hands dreamily through Neal's hair

He smiled in response. Well, well, who knew that Sara Ellis-Caffrey would ever feel the need to have a 'special song'; he would never have pegged his wife as the soppy one in the family.

'And you say _I'm_ the romantic in this couple?' Neal said, enjoying this soft sentimental side of his wife

'What can I say, I guess you've finally rubbed off on me after all this time' she responded as she pulled away and made her way to the sound system, setting it in motion.

Neal let out a small laugh as he immediately recognized the song. That wonderful song they had danced to under the stars at June's on the night of their wedding: 'Let's stay together'. It was perfect. It had been perfect that night as they'd begun their life together but now a few years later, it had even more significance and he opened his arms to welcome Sara back as they began to sway, Neal singing in her ear along with Al Green. God, he loved this woman and he marvelled at the fact that she could still surprise him even though he thought he knew her oh so well.

'You never cease to amaze me' he whispered into her ear as he held her close

'I hope I never do' she responded, running her hands up and down his back

Neal pulled away momentarily to look into her eyes 'That's not going to be a problem' he said, his voice deep and hoarse as he began kissing her deeply.

'I hope dinner will keep' he added, temporarily coming up for air

Sara nodded, her eyes naughty. 'Two rooms in one week – I think that's a record'

La fin


End file.
